45-47GW Solar Capacity by 2030

Commitment: Deploy 45-47 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaic capacity by 2030, as part of the Clean Power 2030 target.

Owner: DESNZ

Target date: 2030

Metric: Installed solar PV capacity (GW).

Status: active (most achievable of the Clean Power 2030 capacity targets)

Context

Solar PV has the fastest deployment timeline of any major clean energy technology and the most established supply chain. The 45-47GW target (from approximately 15-17GW in 2024) requires roughly a tripling of capacity, but:

• Rooftop solar scales through planning-permitted development — not NSIP regime
• Ground-mounted solar has shorter development timelines than offshore wind
• Solar costs have fallen dramatically; private investment is robust

Types of solar

1. Rooftop solar: Residential and commercial — benefits from permitted development rights; planning-independent
2. Ground-mounted solar (medium): Under 50MW — local planning authority consent
3. Large ground-mounted solar: Over 50MW — NSIP consent required (benefiting from PIA 2025 reform)

Tension: land use

Large-scale ground-mounted solar requires significant land area. Solar farms compete with:

• Agricultural land (food production)
• Habitat creation under nature recovery targets (though solar sites can have high BNG value with appropriate land management)
• The biodiversity net gain requirements — solar farms can contribute positively if managed for wildlife

See housing-biodiversity for the broader land-use tension that also applies to solar.

Biodiversity co-benefit

Solar parks with appropriate land management (wildflower margins, grazing, no/low herbicide use) can deliver significant biodiversity gain. The Unlocking Benefits paper notes solar BNG requirements as a positive synergy.