Out of this total, Glenigan reports that over 4,000 proposed projects featuring solar panels have already received planning consent and are cleared to work.

Solar panels are being increasingly used in a wide range of sectors, but Glenigan has found 1,300 of these projects are located within the private and social housing sectors.

Renewable energy has become a core part of energy secretary Ed Miliband’s work since his recent appointment, with the government’s budget for renewable energy actions being increased from £500m to £1.5bn.

Solar panel installation is also being tackled by the government from a planning perspective.

•   Construction starts decline slowing
•   Hotel & leisure construction to surge 14% in 2024, forecasts Glenigan
•   Office construction contracts up 40% from 2023

In her recent speech announcing how the National Planning Policy Framework would be reformed, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner revealed the government would be changing the threshold for solar development to reflect changes in this technology.

Glenigan notes that under the previous government, incentives for both homeowners and the construction industry to use solar panels were ended in 2016.

“With a substantial pipeline of new-build and refurbishment schemes due to feature solar and millions more existing homes likely to be enticed into making changes, the PV industry looks set to be a major beneficiary of the new government’s drive towards Net Zero,” added Glenigan in its research commentary.

So far, London has the largest number of approved schemes with 270 projects due to start.

Outside the capital, the South East is the region with the next most solar schemes with 200.