This year has marked a turning point for clean power in Britain. New analysis from think-tank Ember shows that solar generation in the UK has broken record after record: up 32% year-on-year to 9.91 TWh, with five successive months of record-breaking output since March.
July alone saw a new peak of 14 GW, almost half as much again as the previous high just five years ago.
It isn’t just about numbers. These records prove solar is no longer a supporting act – it’s central to the UK’s energy security. This solar surge balanced out a 2.8 TWh drop in wind generation in the first half of 2025, demonstrating the resilience of a renewables-led grid. As Ember highlights, for 98% of days it is either windy or sunny in Britain. That natural complementarity between solar and wind is one of the great advantages of our climate – and we can lean into the stats to enable us to amplify what we already have going for us.
So yes, this is cause for celebration, but we are here to tackle the next big challenge: efficiency.
More power, same panels.
At Cambridge Photon Technology, we know the solar boom we’re witnessing is just the beginning. The government has set an ambitious target of 60 GW solar by 2030. Deployment will continue at pace, but deployment alone is not enough. If we want to accelerate the transition, reduce costs, and strengthen sovereignty, we need to make solar panels themselves work harder.
This is where our Photon Multiplier™ comes in. A drop-in material that transforms an underused portion of sunlight into usable energy – converting each blue and ultraviolet photon into two infrared photons that silicon solar cells can efficiently convert into electricity. The result? Up to 15% more power from the same panel, with no redesigns, no new manufactory lines, and zero disruption to the solar industry.
In a market defined by squeezed margins and pressures to increase solar efficiency and reduce solar energy cost, it’s more than a technical advantage. It’s a strategic one. More output from every panel means less land, lower installation costs and cheaper energy prices (per kilowatt-hour). It makes solar not only cheaper and cleaner, but more effective and strategically valuable.
Solar supercharged
The world is enjoying what Ember calls a “solar spring”. From Britain to Africa, solar deployment is scaling faster than ever. But if the last decade was defined by cost reduction, the next decade will be defined by efficiency breakthroughs.
At CPT, we’re proud to be at the vanguard. Our tech doesn’t change how solar is made – it changes what solar can do. By pushing beyond the silicon cells performance ceiling, we can play a part to help the UK meet its solar roadmap, give investors a proven path to value, and strengthen our national clean energy capability.
The story of 2025 is clear: solar works. The story of the next decade will be even more powerful: universally-available solar, that’s supercharged.
