Solar photovoltaic (PV) cost data
These tables contain information on the cost per kW of solar PV installed by month on both a Declared Net Capacity (DNC) and Total Installed Capacity (TIC) basis.
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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Details
Declared Net Capacity (DNC) measures the maximum amount of electricity that could be exported to the grid from a given installation at any one time. Total Installed Capacity (TIC) refers to the total generation that an installation could generate at any one time.
In 2026, we have published these statistics using both measures. This will be reviewed in future publications. Our statistics are generally based on TIC where available. This included our published statistics for installations on the Feed in Tariff but this was not the case in the early years of the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) when the TIC data was incomplete. However, recent improvements to the MCS database have allowed us to use the TIC data going forward. This change will bring this publication in line with our published solar deployment statistics and Energy Trends.
TIC is usually higher than DNC. Therefore, the average costs of installations per kW of TIC are lower than the average costs per kW of DNC. The average costs based on TIC are typically 6 - 12% lower than the average cost per DNC. The sample size in each group differs slightly between the two publications as the size bands in each dataset are different. For example, an installation which has DNC of 3.9 kW but TIC of 4.1 kW would fall into the 0-4 kW group in the DNC dataset but the 4-10 kW group in the TIC dataset.
This release is directly comparable with previous versions of this publication which were also based on DNC.
As a new statistical series, the TIC dataset, is still undergoing methodological development, so they are published as ‘Official Statistics in development’. The developmental status of these statistics will be under regular review and may be subject to change in the future. We wish to engage with users to ensure the statistics are suitable to meet their needs. During our ongoing development of these statistics, we welcome comments to understand how these statistics are used, and to test the suitability of the statistical methods and outputs.
To provide feedback on these data please see the contact details below.
Data are taken from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme - MCS Installation Database.
For enquiries concerning these tables email renewablesstatistics@energysecurity.gov.uk.