Last week, the team at Copper Consultancy attended Solar & Storage Live London – a major industry gathering that brought together developers, policymakers, investors and advisers to explore the challenges and opportunities shaping the sector.
The discussions reflected a sector in transition. Although solar is now firmly established as a core part of the UK’s energy mix, the conditions for delivery are becoming more complex in a lot of ways; it is an industry still progressing and maturing but grappling with scale.
Grid reform is the defining issue
Across almost every panel session, one theme dominated – grid connections remain the single biggest constraint on deployment.
Reform is underway, with a clear shift by NESO towards prioritising projects that are both ‘ready’ and ‘needed’ by the system. This reflects a widely held view that the current queue is congested with speculative or stalled schemes, creating ‘noise’ that slows down viable projects.
However, the reality on the ground is more nuanced. Developers are still carrying the bulk of the delivery risk; where network delays occur, there are limited options or compensation, despite the significant financial implications. Ofgem is exploring stronger incentives and potential penalties for network operators, but these must be balanced against the risk of destabilising network finances.
Perhaps more fundamentally, there is a confidence issue. Poor-quality or delayed information from network operators – including reported turnaround times of six to ten months for key data, such as power-quality metrics – is undermining investor trust and complicating project planning.
Hybrid and storage economics are improving, but challenges remain
The economics of solar are changing, especially when combined with battery storage.
More projects are now stacking solar with batteries and making them work commercially, even without exporting power to the grid. This is being helped by time-of-use tariffs, on-site energy use and models like carports.
However, delivery is still complicated. There is no consistent approach to how hybrid projects are assessed across the grid, which creates uncertainty. In some cases, smaller projects can face unexpectedly strict requirements – for example, a 200kW rooftop project in Scotland needing a Transmission Impact Assessment, whereas in England the threshold for requiring assessment is much higher.
There is also a growing concern that too many speculative battery projects could take up space in the grid queue, limiting opportunities for other technologies. Some have suggested stricter financial requirements to enter the queue, but this needs to be balanced carefully to avoid blocking viable projects.
The basics of delivery are back in focus
In a more constrained environment, there is a notable emphasis on project fundamentals. Developers are being encouraged to strengthen early-stage diligence, including around:
- site access and logistics
- traffic management
- land agreements and stakeholder engagement.
These factors are not new, but their importance is increasing. In a system where grid access and planning consent are harder to secure, projects that are demonstrably ‘ready’ are more likely to progress under the reformed prioritisation rules.
Planning, politics and public trust are becoming more complex
Although solar benefits from relatively strong public support – with polling suggesting about 70% locally support it and an even higher backing among some political groups – this does not automatically translate into consent.
In practice, local opposition is becoming more visible, particularly in Scotland and Wales. Concerns are increasingly framed around land use and cumulative impact, community benefits and how they are distributed, and perceptions that local areas are not being compensated for hosting the infrastructure. This is compounded by the ‘cluster effect’, where multiple projects in the same area increase sensitivity and resistance.
At the same time, trust remains a challenge. A figure cited during the conference suggested that more than half the public do not believe developers act in communities’ best interests.
The emergence of AI-generated consultation responses is adding a further layer of complexity, increasing the volume of consultation responses received from the public while often reducing the clarity of genuine local concerns.
Consultation is changing but not disappearing
Forthcoming planning reforms are expected to streamline statutory consultation requirements, including changes to Sections 42 and 47. However, consultation will not go away – it remains essential, regardless of formal requirements.
The direction of travel is towards more bespoke engagement by stakeholder type, earlier engagement with those most directly affected and more iterative consultation, rather than two fixed stages.
In practice, this reflects a shift from compliance-driven consultation to strategic engagement, focused on building trust and improving project outcomes.
In summary
Taken together, these themes point to a sector that is not slowing down but becoming more complex. Solar remains one of the most cost-effective and scalable forms of energy generation, central to energy security and decarbonisation. However, success is now less about bringing projects forward and more about how they are delivered – with greater emphasis on project readiness, policy clarity and effective stakeholder engagement. As the landscape evolves, it will be increasingly important to navigate these challenges and position a project clearly.
Get in touch
At Copper, we support clients to navigate this shift – helping to position projects clearly, engage stakeholders effectively and manage the risks that come with delivery at scale. To find out more about how we can help with your project, please get in touch with Aimee Howard (aimee.howard@copperconsultancy.com) or Zak Reid (zak.reid@copperconsultancy.com).