UK: load factor of solar PV 2024| ��ƽ��

Load factor of electricity from solar photovoltaics in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2010 to 2024 (in percentage)

Characteristic	Load factor in percentage
2024	9.5%
2023	10.8%
2022	11.1%
2021	9.9%
2020	10.5%
2019	10.7%
2018	11.2%
2017	10.6%
2016	11%
2015	11.4%
2014	10.9%
2013	9.8%
2012	11.2%
2011	5.1%
2010	7.6%

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Release date

July 2025

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Region

United Kingdom

Survey time period

2010 to 2024

Supplementary notes

Load factor is defined as the average load divided by the peak load in a specific time period.

This statistic is using original data from the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero and includes copyright material from © Crown, licensed under the .

Citation formats

The load factor of electricity from solar photovoltaics in the United Kingdom has fluctuated since 2010, amounting to 9.5 percent in 2024. 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 43 percent in that year.

Capacity and generation

In 2023, solar PV accounted for almost 30 of the total renewable capacity installed across the United Kingdom. However, its share of renewable electricity generation was just 10 percent. This was due to the relatively low load factor. In 2010, electricity generated by solar PV amounted to 41 gigawatt-hours. By 2023 this had increased to more than 13,800 gigawatt-hours.

Turnover and employment drop

In 2022 the UK’s solar PV industry reported a turnover of more than three billion British pounds. This was an increase of over 700 million British pounds compared to the previous year. As turnover increased, so did employment figures. In 2022 there were approximately 9,000 employees in the sector.