What’s happened:
The UK government has awarded 6.2GW of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) in Auction Round 7a (February 2026). This marks the largest capacity of solar PV awarded since the scheme began and, combined with AR7 offshore wind results, creates a pipeline of 14.7GW of new clean power projects.
To recap: The CfD scheme guarantees renewable developers a fixed “strike price” for the electricity they generate, supporting long term investment in clean energy.
What this means:
The results signal that the UK’s CfD scheme is back on track in supporting clean power growth.
WindEurope reports AR7 secured the largest offshore wind capacity on record.
AR7a saw more than 100 winners, reflecting renewed developer confidence.
Solar PV dominated the winners, with over 4.5GW of capacity awarded. This follows the lifting of the ban on ground mounted solar in December 2022, as well as continued policy support such as the UK’s 70GW clean power target by 2030. Together, these factors point to strong momentum across the solar PV market. Together, these factors point to strong momentum across the solar PV market.
Largest winners:
Some of the largest award recipients at CfD 7a include:
Island Green Power
Elgin Energy
Source: DESNZ, Mint Selection Market Intelligence
Our Market Intelligence team has mapped the full list of awarded projects and developers to track investment momentum and emerging growth platforms across the UK solar PV market.
Full dataset available on request: hello@mintselection.com
Looking forward:
While the results show strong momentum in solar development, grid queues remain a key barrier.
We expect to see:
Increased hybrid developments that are co-located to speed up the process of connecting to the grid.
Continued pressure on project timelines and delivery teams.
Hybrid solar and storage projects are emerging as a key trend shaping the next phase of UK renewable development.
Our Market Intelligence team is tracking the shifts across the UK solar and storage market to support informed hiring and workforce planning.
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