UK solar on track for record CfD deployment by 2026 – SPE

A record number of UK solar power plants, backed by CfDs, are due to come online in 2026 as contract deadlines kick in following a tender process that saw PV win more contracts than any other generation technology.

According to the latest UK government data up to the end of November 2025, there are 19 UK solar power stations in operation, supported by a CfD, of which 17 were commissioned in 2025 – including the 373MW Cleve Hill Solar Park, the largest UK PV installation to date. This could more than double in twelve months. The public CfD register shows that there are 26 uncommissioned solar power plants with longstop dates – essentially the last date on which a project can be commissioned – falling in 2026. These represent a combined total contracted capacity of approximately 790 MW.

Solar projects have won the most contracts in each of the last three UK CfD allocation rounds in terms of number of plants, although wind still dominates in terms of capacity. The latest Low Carbon Contracts Company (LCCC) investment report, published in December 2025, notes that a total of 199 contracts have been awarded to solar projects since the start of the UK CfD programme, ahead of the combined total of 123 for onshore and offshore wind.

Nearly all solar CfDs have been secured in the fourth, fifth and sixth allocation rounds. The seventh CfD allocation round is underway, with the UK government needing to secure significant capacity to meet 2030 deployment targets.

The investment landscape for UK solar with a CfD remains diverse, according to LCCC’s report, which shows that 40% of contracted projects are owned by private companies, 38% by infrastructure and investment funds and 22% by developers. None of the projects sampled by LCCC had any state ownership.

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