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Solar Panel Installation in the UK - Market Research Report (2015-2030)

John Griffin John Griffin London, United Kingdom Last Updated: December 2025 SIC SP0.049

Revenue

£2.1bn

2025-26

£2.4bn

Past 5-Year Growth

Profit

£XXX.Xm

Employees

3,536

Businesses

2,553

Wages

£XXX.Xm

Solar Panel Installation in the UK industry analysis

The UK solar market has experienced significant growth in recent years, with a rising number of installations as households and businesses seek to become more sustainable and reduce their reliance on soaring electricity bills. The capacity of the UK is estimated to be around 18 gigawatts in 2025, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, up from less than five gigawatts around a decade ago. The implementation of the Smart Export Guarantee has propelled revenue growth, encouraging households and businesses to adopt solar energy by offering payments for any excess energy sent back to the National Grid. Other government initiatives, like updates to Part L of the Building Regulations and support packages for businesses that go green, have prompted an uptick in small-scale systems, supporting strong industry revenue growth.

Trends and Insights

  • Soaring energy bills drive a jump in installations. The energy crisis spurred significant industry expansion, with consumers and businesses seeking to reduce their dependence on the electricity grid despite the steep capital investment into solar systems.
  • Small installations dominate the industry. These are solar panel systems with a capacity of less than four kW. Installations of these have soared in recent years as industrial electricity prices have surged.
  • The South East is a great location for installers. Its sunny conditions compared with other UK regions mean installers can capitalise on higher demand, while surging solar farm applications also draw them to the area.
  • Price is key to attracting customers. Households and businesses typically install solar panels to make long-term savings, so it goes without saying that they’ll look for the cheapest installer to keep costs down.
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Industry Statistics and Trends

Market size and recent performance (2015-2030)

Industry revenue has grown at a CAGR of 31.9 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated £2.1bn in 2025.

Trends and Insights

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) brings renewed life to the UK solar industry

  • The introduction of the SEG since January 2020 has spurred an upward trend in solar panel installation. The SEG is a government-backed scheme that enables homeowners and small businesses that adopt a renewable energy system to earn money by selling excess electricity back to the National Grid. This has encouraged more people to go solar and driven a surge in industry revenue. The scheme means that only installations carried out by installers certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) are eligible for funding, driving high-quality installations that can command a higher price.
  • Additional trends and insights available with purchase
Solar Panel Installation in the UK
Revenue (2015-2030)
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry outlook (2025-2030)

Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.

Trends and Insights

Stringent building regulations and government plans will hike solar panel installations

  • As sustainable energy becomes the norm, growing government mandates for more sustainable solutions will support continued growth in solar panel usage. In October 2024, a cross-party group of MPs, environmental groups and fuel poverty charities urged the government to mandate solar panels on all new-build homes from 2025 as part of the Future Homes Standard (FHS). The programme is not yet active, but is expected to be implemented in the coming years. Once the programme is fully operational, installers can expect a surge in residential installation demand, encouraging companies to focus their efforts on the residential market.

Biggest companies in the Solar Panel Installation in the UK

Company
Market Share (%)
2025
Revenue (£m)
2025
Project Solar UK Ltd
58.7
EvoEnergy Ltd
27.2
Dulas Ltd
6.2

To view the market share and analysis for all 4 top companies in this industry, view purchase options.

Products & Services Segmentation

Solar Panel Installation in the UK
Products & Services
IBISWorld Logo Source: IBISWorld

Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Installation of systems with a capacity of less than four kilowatts, Installation of systems with a capacity of between four and 10 kilowatts and Installation of systems with a capacity of between 10 and 100 kilowatts. Installation of systems with a capacity of less than four kilowatts is the largest segment of the Solar Panel Installation in the UK.

Trends and Insights

Small solar panels make up the majority of installations

  • This segment includes the installation of solar panels with a capacity of less than four kilowatts. Smaller solar panel systems of this power are most common in a typical-sized residential building.
  • More insights available in the full report

Table of Contents

About this industry

Industry definition

Industry companies install solar panels as part of general residential and commercial contracting services. These companies are contracted by a homeowner, solar panel manufacturer or solar marketing firm. Installations of large-scale solar panels by major power producers are excluded from the industry.

What's included in this industry?

Products and services covered in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom include Installation of systems with a capacity of less than four kilowatts, Installation of systems with a capacity of between four and 10 kilowatts and Installation of systems with a capacity of between 10 and 100 kilowatts.

Companies

Companies covered in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom include Project Solar UK Ltd, EvoEnergy Ltd and Dulas Ltd.

Purchase this report to view all 4 major companies in this industry.

Related Terms

Related terms covered in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom include irradiance, capacity, efficiency, photovoltaic and agrovoltaics.

Industry Code

SIC 2007

SIC 43.21 - Solar Panel Installation in the UK

Performance

Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.

Analyst insights

Soaring energy bills drive a jump in installations. The energy crisis spurred significant industry expansion, with consumers and businesses seeking to reduce their dependence...

In this chapter (4)

  • Current Performance
  • Outlook
  • Volatility
  • Life Cycle

Key metrics

  • Annual Revenue, Recent Growth, Forecast, Revenue Volatility
  • Number of Employees, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Employee
  • Number of Businesses, Recent Growth, Forecast, Employees per Business, Revenue per Business
  • Total Profit, Profit Margin, Profit per Business

Charts

  • Revenue, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Employees, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Businesses, including historical (2015-2024) and forecast (2025-2030)
  • Profit, including historical (2015-2025)
  • Industry Volatility vs. Revenue Growth
  • Industry Life Cycle

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in supply, demand and current events that are driving current industry performance
  • Expected trends, economic factors and ongoing events that drive the industry's outlook
  • Key success factors for businesses to overcome volatility
  • How contribution to GDP, industry saturation, innovation, consolidation, and technology and systems influence the industry's life cycle phase.

Products and Markets

Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.

Analyst insight

Small installations dominate the industry. These are solar panel systems with a capacity of less than four kW. Installations of these have soared in recent years as industria...

In this chapter

  • Products & Services
  • Major Markets

Key metrics

  • Largest market segment and value in 2025
  • Product innovation level

Charts

  • Products & services segmentation in 2025
  • Major market segmentation in 2025

Detailed analysis

  • Trends impacting the recent performance of the industry's various segments
  • Innovations in the industry's product or service offering, specialization or delivery method
  • Key factors that successful businesses consider in their offerings
  • Buying segments and key trends influencing demand for industry products and services

Geographic Breakdown

Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.

Analyst insights

The South East is a great location for installers. Its sunny conditions compared with other UK regions mean installers can capitalise on higher demand, while surging solar fa...

In this chapter (1)

  • Business Locations

Charts

  • Share of revenue, establishment, wages and employment in each region
  • Share of population compared to establishments in each region in 2025

Tables

  • Number and share of establishments in each region in 2025
  • Number and share of revenue each region accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of wages each region accounts for in 2025
  • Number and share of employees in each region in 2025

Detailed analysis

  • Geographic spread of the industry across Europe, and trends associated with changes in the business landscape
  • Key success factors for businesses to use location to their advantage

Competitive Forces

Get data and insights on what's driving competition in an industry and the challenges industry operators and new entrants may face, with analysis built around Porter's Five Forces framework.

Analyst insights

Price is key to attracting customers. Households and businesses typically install solar panels to make long-term savings, so it goes without saying that they’ll look for the ...

In this chapter (4)

  • Concentration
  • Barriers to Entry
  • Substitutes
  • Buyer & Supplier Analysis

Key metrics

  • Industry concentration level
  • Industry competition level and trend
  • Barriers to entry level and trend
  • Substitutes level and trend
  • Buyer power level and trend
  • Supplier power level and trend

Charts

  • Market share concentration among the top 4 suppliers from 2020-2025
  • Supply chain including upstream supplying industries and downstream buying industries, flow chart

Detailed analysis

  • Factors impacting the industry’s level of concentration, such as business distribution, new entrants, or merger and acquisition activity.
  • Key success factors for businesses to manage the competitive environment of the industry.
  • Challenges that potential industry entrants face such as legal, start-up costs, differentiation, labor/capital intensity and capital expenses.
  • Key success factors for potential entrants to overcome barriers to entry.
  • Competitive threats from potential substitutes for the industry’s own products and services.
  • Key success factors for how successful businesses can compete with substitutes.
  • Advantages that buyers have to keep favorable purchasing conditions.
  • Advantages that suppliers have to maintain favorable selling conditions.
  • Key success factors for how businesses can navigate buyer and supplier power.

Companies

Learn about the performance of the top companies in the industry.

Analyst insights

A local focus means there aren’t any major players. Most installers are small, serving a limited area, so no one company dominates the market. It will be hard for anyone to g...

In this chapter

  • Market Share Concentration
  • Companies
  • Company Spotlights

Charts

  • Industry market share by company in 2021 through 2025
  • Major companies in the industry, including market share, revenue, profit and profit margin in 2025
  • Overview of Project Solar UK Ltd's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
  • Overview of EvoEnergy Ltd's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
  • Overview of Dulas Ltd's performance by revenue, market share and profit margin from 2019 through 2025
  • Overview of revenue, market share and profit margin trend for one additional company

Detailed analysis

  • Description and key data for Project Solar UK Ltd, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for EvoEnergy Ltd, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description and key data for Dulas Ltd, and factors influencing its performance in the industry
  • Description, key data and performance trends for one additional company

External Environment

Understand the demographic, economic and regulatory factors that shape how businesses in an industry perform.   

Analyst insights

Government assistance determines demand. The more grants and funding made available, the more likely it is that households and businesses will want installations. Most recent...

In this chapter

  • External Drivers
  • Regulation & Policy
  • Assistance

Key metrics

  • Regulation & policy level and trend
  • Assistance level and trend

Charts

  • Regulation & Policy historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 
  • Assistance historical data and forecast (2015-2030) 

Detailed analysis

  • Demographic and macroeconomic factors influencing the industry, including Regulation & Policy and Assistance
  • Major types of regulations, regulatory bodies, industry standards or specific regulations impacting requirements for industry operators
  • Key governmental and non-governmental groups or policies that may provide some relief for industry operators.

Financial Benchmarks

View average costs for industry operators and compare financial data against an industry's financial benchmarks over time. 

Analyst insights

Profitability has grown in line with a surging number of installations. As more businesses and households continue to adopt solar energy, high-margin installations have resul...

In this chapter

  • Cost Structure
  • Financial Ratios
  • Key Ratios

Key metrics

  • Profit margin, and how it compares to the sector-wide margin
  • Average wages, and how it compares to the sector-wide average wage
  • Largest cost component as a percentage of revenue
  • Industry average ratios for days' receivables, industry coverage and debt-to-net-worth ratio

Charts

  • Average industry operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
  • Average sector operating costs as a share of revenue, including purchases, wages, depreciation, utilities, rent, other costs and profit in 2025
  • Investment vs. share of economy

Data tables

  • Liquidity Ratios (2019-2023)
  • Coverage Ratios (2019-2023)
  • Leverage Ratios  (2019-2023)
  • Operating Ratios (2019-2023)
  • Assets (2019-2023)
  • Liabilities (2019-2023)
  • Cash Flow & Debt Service Ratios (2015-2030)
  • Revenue per Employee (2015-2030)
  • Revenue per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • Employees per Establishment (2015-2030)
  • Employees per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • Average Wage (2015-2030)
  • Wages/Revenue (2015-2030)
  • Establishments per Enterprise (2015-2030)
  • IVA/Revenue (2015-2030)
  • Imports/Demand (2015-2030)
  • Exports/Revenue (2015-2030)

Detailed analysis

  • Trends in the cost component for industry operators and their impact on industry costs and profitability 

Key Statistics

Industry Data

Data Tables

Including values and annual change:

  • Revenue (2015-2030)
  • IVA (2015-2030)
  • Establishments (2015-2030)
  • Enterprises (2015-2030)
  • Employment (2015-2030)
  • Exports (2015-2030)
  • Imports (2015-2030)
  • Wages (2015-2030)

Top Questions Answered

Unlock comprehensive answers and precise data upon purchase. View purchase options.

What is the market size of the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom in 2025?

The market size of the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom is £2.1bn in 2025.

How many businesses are there in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom in 2025?

There are 2,553 businesses in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom, which has grown at a CAGR of 9.4 % between 2020 and 2025.

How may import tariffs affect the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom?

The Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

How may export tariffs affect the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom?

The Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.

Has the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom grown or declined over the past 5 years?

The market size of the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom has been growing at a CAGR of 31.9 % between 2020 and 2025.

What is the forecast growth of the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom over the next 5 years?

Over the next five years, the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom is expected to grow.

What are the biggest companies in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom?

The biggest companies operating in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom are Project Solar UK Ltd, EvoEnergy Ltd and Dulas Ltd

What does the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom include?

Installation of systems with a capacity of less than four kilowatts and Installation of systems with a capacity of between four and 10 kilowatts are part of the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom.

Which companies have the highest market share in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom?

The company holding the most market share in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom is Project Solar UK Ltd.

How competitive is the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom?

The level of competition is high and increasing in the Solar Panel Installation industry in the United Kingdom.

Methodology

How are IBISWorld reports created?

IBISWorld has been a leading provider of trusted industry research for over 50 years to the most successful companies worldwide. With offices in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and China, we are proud to have local teams of analysts that conduct research, data analysis and forecasting to produce data-driven industry reports.

Our analysts start with official, verified and publicly available sources of data to build the most accurate picture of each industry. Analysts then leverage their expertise and knowledge of the local markets to synthesize trends into digestible content for IBISWorld readers. Finally, each report is reviewed by one of IBISWorld’s editors, who provide quality assurance to ensure accuracy and readability.

IBISWorld relies on human-verified data and human-written analysis to compile each standard industry report. We do not use generative AI tools to write insights, although members can choose to leverage AI-based tools within the platform to generate additional analysis formats.

What data sources do IBISWorld analysts use?

Each industry report incorporates data and research from government databases, industry-specific sources, industry contacts, and our own proprietary database of statistics and analysis to provide balanced, independent and accurate insights.

Key data sources in the UK include:

  • Office for National Statistics
  • Office for Budget Responsibility
  • Bank of England

Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.

These sources include:

  • Industry and trade associations
  • Industry federations or regulators
  • Major industry players annual or quarterly filings

Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.

How does IBISWorld forecast its data?

IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.

IBISWorld prides itself on being a trusted, independent source of data, with over 50 years of experience building and maintaining rich datasets and forecasting tools. We are proud to be the keystone source of industry information for thousands of companies across the world.

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