UK Solar Roadmap Targets 47 GW Capacity, Fuels Rooftop Revolution Nationwide

• New Solar Roadmap sets UK goal of 45-47 GW by 2030, promising rooftop reforms, balcony plug-in panels and 35,000 jobs while using just 0.4 % of land.

The UK government has published its long-awaited Solar Roadmap, a detailed playbook for tripling the country’s installed photovoltaic capacity within the next five years. Released by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 30 June, the document pitches solar not only as a climate solution but as a bulwark against volatile gas prices and future energy shortages.

At its core, the strategy sets a binding ambition of 45-47 GW of generation by 2030—up from roughly 18 GW today—with an upper-end scenario of about 57 GW if rooftop programmes exceed expectations. Hitting the stretch target would provide enough clean electricity for nine million homes while occupying just 0.4 % of the UK’s land area, the Roadmap notes.

Ministers argue the build-out could support 35,000 skilled jobs and help households save up to £500 a year on power bills, particularly as falling panel prices converge with smart-meter roll-outs and time-of-use tariffs. Analysts point out that a faster solar ramp-up also eases pressure on the grid during electrification of heat pumps and electric vehicles.

A centre-piece of the plan is the so-called “rooftop revolution”. Planning rules will be relaxed to allow plug-in balcony panels for flats and rental properties—an idea already popular in Germany—alongside streamlined permitting for warehouses, factory roofs and car-park canopies. Local authorities will retain oversight of ground-mounted farms, but new guidance emphasises dual use, encouraging sheep grazing and biodiversity corridors under arrays.

To unlock private capital, the Roadmap pledges fresh funding rounds in the Contracts for Difference auction scheme and a fast-track grid-connection queue for projects that pair solar with battery storage. Treasury officials are also exploring tax incentives for domestic installations, while industry will launch a national training initiative to certify 10,000 additional roofers and electricians by 2027.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband called the package “a down-payment on lower bills, energy security and British industrial strength”, adding that every kilowatt of home-grown solar displaces imported gas. Though some rural groups remain wary of large-scale farms, trade body Solar Energy UK welcomed the plan as “the clearest signal yet” that Britain intends to meet its Clean Power 2030 pledge on time.

Implementation begins immediately, with quarterly progress reviews and a public dashboard tracking capacity additions, grid connections and workforce growth—turning Britain’s sunny potential into a measurable benchmark on the road to net-zero.