UK solar power hit a record high this summer

UK solar farms and rooftop panels generated a record 8.8 terawatt-hours of electricity between June and August 2026, a 23% jump from last summer and roughly double the output from summer 2021, according to an analysis by Carbon Brief. Every month set its own record, with July alone producing 3.3 TWh — enough to cover 15% of the UK's electricity demand for the month.

The surge came during the UK's hottest summer on record, which brought five separate heatwaves and more than 620 hours of sunshine, the sixth-sunniest summer on record. Peak temperatures reached 38.1°C at Kew Gardens on 13 August — a reading the Met Office says was made 130 times more likely by climate change.

Installed solar capacity has grown fast too: nearly 172,000 new installations went up in 2026, and roughly 1.7 million UK households now have solar panels. Carbon Brief estimates households with rooftop solar saved a combined £86.7 million on their electricity bills across 26 heatwave days this summer.

Solar Energy UK chief executive Chris Hewett said the record "not only kept bills down for people with solar and batteries...but helped keep overall power prices much lower than they would have been if Britain had been relying on more gas generation during the day."

Reporting by Carbon Brief Staff. Source: https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-solar-power-hits-record-high-over-summer-2026