Energy National Policy Statements came into effect

The energy National Policy Statements (NPSs) were designated and came into effect in January 2024, according to the UK Solar Roadmap published by the government in June 2025¹. Under the designation, solar infrastructure is treated as a Critical National Priority for nationally significant low carbon infrastructure¹.

The Roadmap, which presents the final conclusions of the Solar Taskforce, sets out the policy framework supporting the government's Clean Power Action Plan ambition of 45 to 47GW of installed solar capacity by 2030, up from over 18GW at present¹. The document states there is scope to exceed the 47GW upper limit subject to system need, noting that engagement between the National Energy System Operator and distribution network operators indicates an additional 9 to 10GW of rooftop solar projects could deploy before 2030, which could yield 54 to 57GW in total¹.

The Taskforce was established in May 2023, reconvened by the government in July 2024 and re-assembled in Autumn 2024¹. Its Roadmap covers rooftop solar, electricity networks, supply chain and innovation, skills, and planning and support schemes¹.

"The NPSs for energy were designated and came into effect in January 2024."

The Roadmap also records related planning and connections changes. The government published an updated, growth-focused National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024¹. Ofgem approved NESO's 'first ready, first connected' connections reform proposals on 15 April 2025, and from June 2025 all distribution network operators will be required to submit project information to NESO within the relevant Gate Two window¹. A working paper seeking views on introducing a mandatory community benefit fund scheme for low carbon energy infrastructure, and on facilitating shared ownership of renewable generation infrastructure, was published on 21 May 2025¹.

Why it matters for households

The NPSs set the planning policy framework for nationally significant energy infrastructure, including solar. For households, the practical link is the pipeline of large solar projects that the framework is intended to support, and the government's stated aim of deploying solar at scale to reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets¹. The Roadmap states that solar has a unique role given the potential for deployment on rooftops to reduce consumer bills immediately¹.

Energy policy is devolved in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Roadmap recognises that the devolved governments have separate ambitions and supporting policies for renewable technologies¹. The UK, Scottish and Welsh governments jointly commissioned the National Energy System Operator to begin work on the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan in October 2024¹. Households in different nations therefore sit under different consenting and support arrangements, and the Roadmap does not set out a single UK-wide position on rooftop deployment.

The Roadmap also notes that more than 1.5 million homes across the country now have solar installed¹. It estimates the solar sector could support around 35,000 jobs by 2030, double the number it supports today¹.

What happens next

The Roadmap states that the government will publish the Future Homes Standard in Autumn 2025¹. It also states that a change will come into force on 31 December 2025, though the Roadmap text does not specify what that change covers¹. The government says it will establish a joint government and industry Solar Council to drive progress towards its ambitions¹. The Roadmap records that the first audits against a supply chain standard will take place over 2025, with the first certifications expected later in 2025 or early 2026¹.

Sources1 cited

1. UK Solar Roadmap 2025, assets.publishing.service.gov.uk