The Solar Roadmap was published on 30 June 2025, setting out dozens of practical measures intended to expand solar generation in the UK1. It was developed over two years and two governments by the Solar Taskforce, co-chaired by Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband and Solar Energy UK chief executive Chris Hewett1. The taskforce will shortly transition into the Solar Council, which will oversee the plan's implementation1.
Solar Energy UK said the roadmap addresses the electricity grid, supply chain, skills and planning, and would contribute to the government's clean energy superpower mission and December's Clean Power 2030 Action Plan1. By 2030, the industry body projects around 9 million small-scale rooftop installations, up from 1.8 million now, with the sector supporting 35,000 jobs, almost twice today's number1. Hewett wrote that capacity is expected to grow by up to 17 per cent this year and that by 2030 capacity will be about triple what it is now, with solar at times providing virtually all of the country's power2. He added that solar farms would occupy less than one per cent of the country's farmland2.
"A new era of clean energy independence dawned today, with the publication of the long-anticipated Solar Roadmap."
On rooftop solar, the roadmap identifies upfront cost as a key barrier, and the government will work with the Green Finance Institute, the finance sector, consumer bodies and the solar sector to provide financial solutions for all customers1. The government will update its Energy Efficient Home website to promote solar deployment, how solar is reflected in energy performance certificates will be revised, and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors will ensure the value of solar homes is assessed properly1. Incentives for solar on social housing will be considered and retrofit customers will benefit from a review of consumer protections1. A study into the safety of plug-in solar systems, currently forbidden, will commence1.
On the grid, waiting times for connecting large-scale rooftop and groundmount projects will be addressed through procedural reforms allowing projects most likely to go ahead to jump the queue1. A requirement for solar projects above 3.68 kilowatts to be approved by distribution network operators will be reviewed, and changes are expected to how battery storage applications are considered and to who pays for new high-voltage transformers, described in the roadmap as a "postcode lottery"1.
The roadmap outlines 11 actions on skills, including improving training provision, mapping routes to competence for core occupations and connecting colleges and businesses1. On supply chains, it says domestic manufacturing of conventional silicon-based panels may not be economically viable, but there is potential in transformers, inverters, switchgear, bracketry, battery storage and cabling1. The Solar Stewardship Initiative traceability system will be used by Great British Energy1.
Why it matters for households
The roadmap's rooftop measures bear directly on the cost and ease of putting solar on a home. Upfront cost remains the main barrier to wider adoption by homeowners and businesses, and the government intends to work with finance bodies on solutions, though no specific product, rate or scheme is set out1. Red tape that can lead to rooftop installations being unduly small, limiting the bill savings they offer, is being addressed, including the review of the 3.68 kilowatt approval threshold1. How solar affects a home's energy performance certificate and valuation is also due to change1. For homes in Wales and Scotland, planning rules differ; the roadmap does not set out nation-specific planning changes1. The number of small-scale rooftops is put at 1.8 million now, with almost 700 being upgraded with panels every day1.
What happens next
The taskforce will shortly transition into the Solar Council, which will drive future progress and guide the plan's implementation1. No dates have been reported for the reviews of the 3.68 kilowatt threshold, the plug-in solar safety study, or the energy performance certificate revisions1.