Heatwave leads to UK record for solar power generation

Hot temperatures in July and high number of new installations help solar power soar to new levels

A new record for UK solar power generation was set in July as the country basked in a lengthy heatwave.

The UK generated about 16,000MWh of solar power on Tuesday 23 July compared with 9,900MWh of wind power, according to calculations by the Solar Trade Association.

Solar generation has also been boosted by more than 100,000 households installing photovoltaic panels over the past year, despite the government cutting its feed-in tariff subsidy for residential solar power.

In England and Wales the first two weeks of July alone saw more than 75% of the average hours of sunshine for the whole month, according to the Met Office.

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