Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the capacity factors of a) wind and b) solar electricity generation in the UK.

The capacity or load factors of wind and solar electricity generation in the UK depend on several factors, including site location and technology choices. The department publishes estimates of capacity factors for generic installations of solar PV, onshore wind, and offshore wind electricity generation in the UK as part of its Generation Costs publications.

The relevant publications can be found here:

• Annex A (Generation Costs Report): annex-a-additional-estimates-and-key-assumptions-2025.xlsx (view the ‘Technical and Cost Assumptions’ section for load factors).
• Generation Costs Report: Electricity Generation Costs 2025