The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) has revealed that Cornwall came first for small-scale low-carbon installations, followed by four other Southern English regions.
MCS reported that Cornwall saw 4,890 installations of solar and heat pumps combined across the year, the highest in England, producing an estimated annual generation of over 37MWh.
South Cambridgeshire followed in second place for the amount of installations in 2023, but comes in first for the highest percentage of homes with installations at 2.42%. 84% of its installations last year were solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, with 1,377 households opting for solar power, the highest number in the country.
In third place, Winchester enjoyed its best year for installations, with 1,083 in total, representing 2.09% of households in the area. It had 953 solar PV installations, placing it second in the country for all-time uptake, as 1.84% of households now have solar installations.
2023 was also a positive year for South Hams, which now has 2.05% of households with renewable installations, making it currently the fourth-highest local authority for both 2023 and all-time uptake.
The data from MCS revealed that nearly 175,000 small-scale renewables were installed across England in 2023, a 32% increase on 2022 that brings the nation’s all-time installation count to 1,378,870.
This represents over 5.7% of households with a certified renewable installation, placing it behind Wales and Scotland, which have 8.4% and 8.2% of households with installations, respectively.
Ian Rippin, CEO of MCS, said: “It has been an interesting year for the adoption of renewables in England, with Cornwall leading the way and topping the table.
“Based on the total number of installations, these produced an estimated annual generation of over 37MWh, enough energy to make each person in Cornwall nine cups of tea a day for a year.”
This article was originally published on our sister site Solar Power Portal.
