Brits flock to solar as Trump's war with Iran seems to stall

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Solar panels installed on a roof on a house in Ealing. — Installation of solar PV panels – panels in place by David Hawgood. Credit Wikimedia Commons.

Is the US-Iran war about to end? President Trump has put military maneuvers on hold, claiming “great progress” has been made in negotiations.

This would be a huge relief to millions of UK billpayers as it would mean cheaper energy and lower inflation.

That poses two questions Firstly, will the peace, if it happens, hold? Secondly, if it does, will it be in time for billpayers not to be hammered by the next Energy Price Cap? The first answer is it’s impossible to say. The second…probably not. Even if the Strait of Hormuz were to be reopened fully today, bills are likely to increase by at least 10% when the next price cap is announced.

However, solar is rising to the challenge and is booming. In March 2026 there were more than 27,000 solar panel installations, the highest monthly figures for a decade.

As gas prices have spiked, solar capacity has also jumped by 11.7% over the past year. That’s 2.3 gigawatts (GW) of clean energy added to the UK mix. The Energy Climate and Intelligence Unit (ECIU) says the British public are “voting with their feet” when it comes to electrification.

We agree. Every GW of solar that gets added is one small shield against the international fossil fuel chaos.

This isn’t only playing out in the UK, or indeed just in solar. More people across Europe are getting heat pumps in direct response to the energy crisis. The European Heat Pump Association says installation across Germany, France, and Poland rose by 25% on average between January and March 2026.

On the Continent, heat pump sales rose by 17%. The country that performed the worst was Austria, where there are no government grants or subsidies for heat pumps.

While the government here is doing its bit to break the link between gas and electricity, let’s not ignore the unbreakable link between government help and cheap, bill-busting energy.

Quite simply, it’s absolutely vital that the government continue to back solar panels and heat pumps. A hypothetical government of clean energy sceptics Reform UK would, in the words of a former Number 10 energy adviser, be “really damaging” and as bad as Liz Truss’ doomed time in office.

Clean energy news

Solar demand booms in response to Trump’s energy crisis

There were more than 27,000 solar panel installations in March, the most there has been in any month for a decade. The ECIU says the British public are voting with their feet. That’s great, and the government needs to help them do so to stop another energy crisis ever happening again.

Octopus Energy sees solar panels orders increase by 50% in Yorkshire

National and local companies are seeing huge demand for solar panels in some parts of the UK, with Yorkshire seeing a huge spike. It should be no surprise, solar panels can save the average Yorkshire household more than £400 a year in bills.

Europe goes mad for heat pumps

It’s not just in the UK where people are realising that clean energy is the answer to ballooning energy bills. Over the Channel, installations have gone up by 17% across the board and 25% on average in Germany, France, and Poland.

Anker Solix unveils new all-in-one battery

Unveiled at Solar and Storage, the new battery has a 5,000W power output and can power everyday electrical items such as lighting, TV, heat pumps and much more. It even has an AI system to help you manage your energy usage.

Reform UK would be Truss-level disaster for energy

We’ve all seen how dependency on fossil fuels has hurt billpayers. A government of clean energy sceptics would scare off investment in the vital renewable energy we need to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

Number of the week

27,000

That’s how many solar panel installations took place in the UK in March.

Average price of clean technology

Solar PV system: £7,679.88

Solar storage battery: £9,356.01

Air source heat pump: £13,938.90

Ground source heat pump: £23,362.03

Sources:

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Maximilian Schwerdtfeger Deputy editor

Max joined The Eco Experts as content manager in February 2024 and became deputy editor in 2025. He has written about sustainability issues across numerous industries, including maritime, supply chain, finance, mining, and retail. He has also written extensively for consumer titles like City AM, The Morning Star, and The Daily Express.

He has represented The Eco Experts on national television several times, including the BBC’s Sunday Morning Live and ITV Tonight .

In 2020, he covered in detail the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) legislation on sulphur emissions and its effects on the global container shipping market as online editor of Port Technology International.

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As part of this, in 2022 Max visited mines and ports in Angola to hone in on the challenges being faced by one of the world’s biggest producers of rare earth minerals.

His most recent sustainability-related work came much closer to home, as he investigated the eco-challenges faced by independent retailers in the UK, specifically looking at how they can cut emissions and continue to thrive.

Max lives in South London and is an avid reader of books on modern history. He has also recently learned to play the game Mahjong and takes every opportunity to do so. He is also yet to find a sport he doesn’t enjoy watching.

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