UK Solar Installations by Region: Where Growth Is Fastest in 2026

The government has published the UK's first-ever region-by-region breakdown of solar installations, alongside fresh figures showing nearly 172,000 solar installations completed across the UK so far in 2026. Both come from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), drawing on its monthly Energy Trends dataset, and together they give the clearest picture yet of where solar is actually being installed — not just how much, nationally.

What the national numbers show

Nearly 28,000 installations were completed across homes, businesses and larger-scale sites in July 2026 alone — the third-highest monthly total on record, behind only March and June. Rooftop solar made up the bulk of that: more than 19,800 rooftop installations in July, over seven in ten of the month's total, working out to roughly one new rooftop system going up somewhere in the UK every two minutes. That builds on a milestone reached earlier in the year — the UK passed 2 million total solar installations in March 2026, representing about 22.1GW of installed capacity. Energy Minister Michael Shanks framed the trend simply: “Record numbers of families are installing solar panels to generate clean, homegrown power, helping them cut energy bills.”

Where growth is fastest: the regional breakdown

The genuinely new part of this release is the regional split, covering every UK nation and English region for the first time. By raw volume, the South East leads by a wide margin for installations completed so far in 2026, followed by the East of England, South West, East Midlands and North West:

• South East: 22,628 installations in 2026 so far
• East of England: 18,109
• South West: 17,539
• East Midlands: 15,981
• North West: 15,927

Looking at the rolling 12-month picture instead of raw year-to-date volume changes the story slightly, and shows which regions are accelerating fastest rather than just installing the most in absolute terms. The South East again tops the cumulative total at 305,101 installations (up 14% year-on-year), but the East Midlands posted the fastest growth of the larger regions at +17%, followed by the North West at +16% and the East of England at +15%. Outside England, Wales recorded 18% year-on-year growth, Scotland 14%, and the North East 11%.

Why the regional pattern looks like this

DESNZ's release doesn't break down the drivers behind the regional split, but the pattern is consistent with what's generally understood about UK solar uptake: the South East, East of England and South West combine higher-than-average sunlight hours with a large stock of owner-occupied, roof-suitable housing, both of which push up install volumes independent of any single policy change. The East Midlands and North West posting the fastest year-on-year growth, despite lower absolute totals than the southern regions, suggests solar is spreading into areas that started from a smaller base — more in line with a maturing, broad-based market than a boom confined to a handful of sunbelt postcodes.

Why installations are climbing across the board

The regional split sits on top of a national trend that's been building all year. Rising energy bills under Ofgem's price cap have made the payback case for solar stronger household by household, while 0% VAT on residential solar and battery installations — confirmed through to March 2027 — keeps upfront costs down regardless of where in the UK you're buying. Neither of those two levers is regional; they apply the same way in Newcastle as they do in Brighton, which is consistent with growth being broad-based rather than concentrated in one part of the country, even if the South East's larger housing stock and sunnier climate keep it ahead on raw volume.

What this means if you're weighing up solar

None of this changes the fundamentals of whether solar makes sense for a given home — that still comes down to system cost and payback for your specific roof and usage. What the data does confirm is that solar is now a mainstream, well-established purchase across the whole of the UK, not a niche or regionally limited one: every nation and English region grew over the past 12 months, and installers are active and experienced everywhere, not concentrated in a few hotspots. If you're getting quotes, it's still worth checking an installer holds a current MCS certificate (required for Smart Export Guarantee eligibility) and understanding what protections you have if an installer later goes out of business, regardless of how established solar has become in your area.