Photovoltaic solar panel load statistics

What is the load factor of solar photovoltaics in the UK?

The load factor of electricity from solar photovoltaics in the United Kingdom has seen an overall increase since 2010, amounting to 10.6 percent in 2022. This was significantly lower when compared to the load factors of other renewable sources. This can be explained by the lack of consistency in the number of sunny days recorded.

What is the average load factor for solar PV installations?

The average load factor is particularly low compared with the 2019/20 value of 42.4 per cent, this can be attributed to the latest financial year being the driest in the last decade. Quarterly load factors for solar PV installations are available in the accompanying Excel workbook and the last four years are presented graphically in Chart 2.

Why is solar PV a low load factor compared to other renewable sources?

This was significantly lower when compared to the load factors of other renewable sources. This can be explained by the lack of consistency in the number of sunny days recorded. In comparison, the load factor for offshore wind reached over 40 percent that same year. In 2019, solar PV accounted for 28.3 percent of the total renewable capacity.

Which country has the highest wind load factor for solar PV?

North East and South West England had the highest median load factor for solar PV, while Scotland had the highest wind load factor this year. Wind load factors continue to exhibit greater regional variability than that seen for solar PV.

How much electricity is generated by solar PV?

In 2010, electricity generated by solar PV amounted to 41 gigawatt-hours. By 2021 this had increased to more than 12,100 gigawatt-hours. In 2020 the UK’s solar PV industry reported a turnover of 1.4 billion euros. This was an increase of almost 200 million euros compared to the previous year.

How many solar PV installations are there in the UK?

To comment on any of the issues discussed in this article please email: [email protected] The use of solar PV to generate electricity in the UK has grown rapidly since 2010, increasing capacity from 95 MW to 13,800 MW at the end of 2021. There are now over one million solar PV installations in the UK.