The U.K.'s Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) reports that solar electricity generation almost doubled over the course of last year, with almost 5 GW of capacity at the end of 2014, up from 2.8 GW at the end of 2013.
The U.K.-based Solar Trade Association (STA) says the statistics, part of the numbers released on a monthly basis by the DECC, reflect steady growth in the country's solar sector that has accompanied rapidly falling costs, much of which is in the large-scale solar segment.
The U.K. now has over 650,000 solar installations, the STA says.
‘Solar could, by 2020, be cost-competitive with gas and no longer need any kind of government support at all on homes and commercial roofs,’ says Paul Barwell, CEO of the STA. ‘But, we will only reach that point if the next government provides a stable policy framework and a level playing field with other technologies.’
