Scotland's solar capacity has increased by 28 per cent in the past year alone, with almost 44,000 homes and 850 business premises now fitted with solar photovoltaic systems.
According to December figures from regulator Ofgem, capacity in the country now stands at 179MW - a rise of 39MW on the same time last year. The data confirms the continuation of a remarkable surge for the country's solar industry - in 2010, total installed solar capacity in Scotland stood at only 2MW.
"Despite the challenges facing the industry, it's fantastic to see so many homes and businesses embracing solar power," said WWF Scotland director Lang Banks in a statement, referring to the recent steep cuts in solar subsidies announced by the Westminster government. "Following the recent conclusion of UN climate talks in Paris, alongside energy saving measures, we're going to have to see an even greater uptake of solar and other renewable technologies here and globally."
Regionally, Aberdeenshire continues to lead the way, accounting for over 10 per cent of the total capacity, according to the new figures. The counties of Fife and Highland are also Scottish solar hubs, while even Orkney has 337 solar installations.
The vast majority of the installations are fitted on homes, accounting for 159MW of total capacity. Commercial properties account for 16MW, with solar panels installed on 854 businesses across Scotland.
John Forster from the Solar Trade Association Scotland attributed the rise to Scottish building regulations, which support the installation of solar in new homes. However, further measures are needed to promote the installation of solar panels on existing homes, he said.
"As new homes make up a tiny fraction of our housing stock, it's critical we find a way to encourage the use of solar on existing buildings too," he said in a statement. "We'd like to see the Scottish Government bring forward measures to encourage much greater uptake of solar power on the many more existing homes and buildings."
The news comes just days after the Scottish government confirmed it was on track to comfortably surpass its target to source half the country's power from renewables by 2015. The figures confirmed that in 2014 49.7 per cent of Scotland's gross electricity consumption was met by renewables.
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