Clean Power 2030 Action Plan published with 45-47 GW solar target

The government published its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan in December 2024, setting out how it intends to meet a target for clean energy to produce at least 95% of Great Britain's electricity by 2030¹. The plan includes a target for the installation of 45 to 47 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy by 2030, up from a current installed level of 16.6 GW¹. It also noted there is the potential for an additional 9 to 10 GW if rooftop solar could be deployed by 2030¹. The government's independent statutory body, the Climate Change Committee, has reported that meeting this target will require faster roll-out of renewable energy, including solar¹.

The plan sits alongside separate proposals for solar on new homes. The New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill 2024-25, sponsored by Max Wilkinson (Lib Dem), would require the Secretary of State to make regulations requiring all new homes built from 1 October 2026 to have solar photovoltaic (PV) generation installed¹. The regulations would generally require solar PV systems to cover an area equivalent to at least 40% of the new home's ground floor area, with exemptions including for buildings exceeding 15 storeys, buildings with other forms of renewable energy generation, and buildings where solar PV equipment is not cost effective to install¹. The bill had its first reading on 16 October 2024 and will have its second reading on 17 January 2025¹. It is also being referred to as the "Sunshine Bill"¹.

Building regulations do not currently mandate that solar panels must be installed on new homes¹. The previous government consulted on a Future Homes Standard (FHS) in 2019 and 2020, and consulted again on a detailed specification from November 2023 to March 2024, but did not publish a response before the 2024 General Election; the current government has said it will publish a response in due course¹. Option 1 in that consultation would have required solar PV panels covering the equivalent of 40% of a new home's ground floor area, and suggested panels would not be required for blocks of flats over 15 storeys¹.

Stakeholder views differ. The MCS Foundation has supported the bill, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England published an article in support of it on 12 December 2024¹. The Home Builders Federation expressed concerns about option 1, including that mandating solar panels would restrict housebuilding innovation, that estimates of running costs were unrealistic, and that no account had been taken of maintenance costs borne by homeowners; it considered the proposed 40% area coverage requirement to be very high¹. The house builder Vistry Group was generally supportive of option 1 for the FHS, which it felt would lower consumer bills compared to option 2¹. The National House Building Council has said:

"providing the maintenance costs and pay-back periods are accurately predicted, this reliable technology [solar panels] has a role"

The government published a blog on the Future Homes Standard and solar panels on 24 October 2024, stating that it wanted solar panels on as many new homes as possible, but that a fundamental principle of building regulations was not to constrain innovation¹. A final decision on the amount of solar panels that new homes will typically be expected to include is yet to be made².

Why it matters for households

The 45 to 47 GW target is a national figure, not a household one, but it indicates the direction of travel for how electricity is generated and where solar capacity is expected to come from. The plan's note that an additional 9 to 10 GW could come from rooftop solar by 2030 points to homes and other buildings as part of the intended route¹. For a household, the practical questions around solar are usually about installation, running costs and pay-back periods, and what happens to surplus electricity. The sources note that owners of solar panels can be paid for surplus electricity through the Smart Export Guarantee, and that there is a zero rate of VAT on residential solar panels¹. Support schemes named in the briefing include the Energy Company Obligation, the Warm Homes: Local Grant and Warm Homes: Social Funding, with further assistance proposed through the Warm Homes Plan¹.

For new-build homes, the position is not settled. Solar panels are not currently mandated on new homes, and the FHS consultation outcome has not been published¹. The bill would set a requirement from 1 October 2026 if it becomes law, but it is a private member's bill and its passage is not guaranteed. The Future Homes Standard is the framework that would govern energy and carbon standards for new homes in England, and the choice between its options has been the subject of consultation and lobbying¹. Building regulations are devolved, and the briefing primarily covers England; separate arrangements apply in Scotland, where the Scottish Building Standards and the Building Warrant System govern building work¹.

What happens next

The bill's second reading is scheduled for 17 January 2025¹. The government has said it will publish its response to the 2023/24 FHS consultation in due course, but no date has been reported¹. The relaunched Solar Taskforce held its first meeting in October 2024 and will publish a solar roadmap, though the sources do not give a date for it².

Sources2 cited

1. New Homes (Solar Generation) Bill 2024-25 - House of Commons Library, commonslibrary.parliament.uk
2. [](https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10170/CBP-10170.pdf), researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk