The British 2030 solar target of just under 60 GW was confirmed in the Solar Roadmap, a government publication which identified 62 actions to meet the target of tripling solar capacity1. The roadmap was published alongside the wider Clean Power Action Plan, which aims to fully decarbonise the electricity system by the end of the decade2.
The two accounts of the roadmap's contents differ on the capacity figure. Ember reports the confirmed 2030 target as just under 60 GW1. Alternergy reports the roadmap as setting out how the government plans to increase solar capacity to 45 to 47 GW by 2030, up from nearly 19 GW as of May 2025, with potential for up to 85 GW by 20352. It also describes over 70 actions grouped into seven thematic areas, with annexed actions numbered 63 to 72, while Ember gives the figure as 62 actions1.
The roadmap's household measures centre on new build and retrofit. From 2027, most new homes in England will be required to include rooftop solar under the Future Homes Standard, due for publication in autumn 2025, with systems covering at least 40 percent of a building's floor area where feasible2. Ember reports that newly built homes will have solar panels "by default" under the Future Homes Standard, which will come into effect before the end of 20251. Alternergy states the requirement is expected to save homeowners around £530 per year on energy bills2. A parallel Future Buildings Standard is expected in autumn 2025, aimed at mandating rooftop PV on new retail, warehouse and office developments2. As part of a £13.2 billion Warm Homes Plan, the government will support solar PV installations for existing homes, including social housing, alongside heat pumps, batteries and insulation, with full funding details and delivery guidance expected in autumn 20252.
On grid connections, a new Fast Track G99 process allows small solar systems under 14.72 kW to get grid connections in just 10 days, and the Transmission Impact Assessment threshold is to rise from 1 MW to 5 MW to fast-track mid-sized projects2. Action 13 commits to installing solar panels on around 200 schools in 2025 to 2026, co-funded by Great British Energy and the UK Government, with over 200 schools and 200 hospitals to receive co-funded rooftop solar2. A newly created Solar Council will oversee delivery2.
"The British 2030 solar target of just under 60 GW was recently confirmed in the Solar Roadmap"
Generation data published separately shows solar output rising by a third in the first six months of 2025 to a record 9.91 TWh, breaking generation records for five months in a row since March 2025, with a peak of 14 GW on 8 July, 44 per cent higher than the 9.7 GW solar peak in 20201. Average domestic-scale solar installations are at their highest in over a decade, and the 4 to 10 kW band rose from 5 per cent of capacity installed below 10 kW in 2015 to 50 per cent in 20251.
Why it matters for households
The confirmed target and the actions attached to it set the direction for solar PV deployment that households sit inside, both as owners of existing roofs and as buyers of new homes. The Future Homes Standard would put panels on new homes as standard rather than as an upgrade, while the Warm Homes Plan is described as covering solar alongside heat pumps, batteries and insulation for existing homes, including social housing2. For a household, the practical questions around which homes suit solar panels and how surplus generation is used or paid for remain governed by the Smart Export Guarantee, which the roadmap says will be reviewed2. The grid reforms matter because connection speed and capacity set how quickly a home system can be commissioned; the Fast Track G99 route applies to systems under 14.72 kW2. Ember's analysis notes that low wind and low solar days coincide only 2 per cent of the time in a typical year, and that storage capacity is targeted to double by 20301.
What happens next
The Future Homes Standard and the Future Buildings Standard are both due for publication in autumn 2025, with the new home solar requirement applying from 20272. Full funding details and delivery guidance for the Warm Homes Plan are expected in autumn 2025, and a separate consultation will explore new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards for social housing2. The roadmap also lists a consultation on mandatory solar carports for new outdoor parking and a safety review of plug-in solar systems for balconies and gardens2.
Sources2 cited
- A record year for British solar | Ember, ember-energy.org
- UK Solar Roadmap 2025: Key Government Actions & Solar Targets, alternergy.co.uk