UK renewables and storage in 2025

If you only looked at the headlines this year, you would think the UK renewables story is simple.

More records, more targets, more announcements.

Spend any time with developers, asset owners or grid engineers and you hear a very different message.

Projects are still stuck in queues, build schedules keep shifting and the right people are hard to find.

This blog joins those two pictures together.

What actually changed for UK renewables and storage in 2025, and what does it mean for the organisations trying to build and operate projects in 2026.

1. Roadmaps and reality, why 2025 mattered

A few decisions this year will shape the next decade of UK clean power.

The government finally published its long awaited Solar Roadmap in June. It was developed by the Solar Taskforce and sets out the actions government and industry need to take to scale solar across rooftops, ground mount sites and co located assets.

Ofgem confirmed a huge package of network investment, unlocking twenty eight billion pounds to maintain and upgrade gas and electricity grids and to expand capacity to meet growing demand.

The National Energy System Operator, NESO, completed the biggest reform of grid connections in decades, replacing a queue that had grown to more than seven hundred gigawatts with a new pipeline focused on shovel ready projects aligned to the Clean Power by 2030 target.

In parallel, Ofgem pushed forward a support scheme for long duration storage. Seventy seven projects progressed to the final assessment stage of the regulator’s super battery scheme, aimed at stopping renewable power being wasted and securing investment in long duration storage.

On paper that looks like a year of pure progress. On the ground it was more complicated.

From our conversations with clients, 2025 felt like a pivot year.

The vision for the system is clearer.

The grid is finally being treated as critical infrastructure.

Storage is no longer an optional add on.

Yet many projects that were promised connection dates in the middle of the decade are still waiting, and skills shortages are already biting in the areas that matter most.

2. The Solar Roadmap, from ambition to practical steps

Solar had a very specific moment in 2025.

The Solar Roadmap set out the final conclusions of the UK Solar Taskforce, a group that brought together government, industry and trade bodies to work out what reaching the targets under Clean Power 2030 will actually take, as summarised in this Burges Salmon article.

It is an important document for three reasons.

First, it confirms that solar is expected to play a central role in decarbonising the power system.

Industry coverage describes it as a once in a generation opportunity for the solar sector, and an era of clean energy independence if the actions are followed through.

Second, it is practical.

The Roadmap talks less about headline capacity numbers and more about real world barriers. Grid connection times, planning and land use, skills, consumer awareness and finance.

A simple example is the creation of a Solar Council, evolving from the Taskforce, to coordinate progress and hold both government and industry to account.

Third, it lines up with broader reforms.

The Roadmap explicitly recognises that fundamental changes to the grid queue are needed if solar projects are going to connect at the pace required.

For developers we speak to, the value of the Roadmap is not that it changes projects overnight.

It gives a framework they can point to when pushing for faster planning decisions, more realistic grid timelines and better resourcing of local authority teams.

3. Wind and solar records, masked by constraints

Headline generation statistics are moving in the right direction.

Industry analysis through 2025 shows renewables providing well over forty percent of UK electricity on a rolling twelve month basis, with wind still the dominant source and solar contributing a growing share of the mix (for example, National Grid ESO and DESNZ quarterly statistics, summarised by trade sites such as Carbon Brief and Ember).

Individual records keep falling.

Offshore and onshore wind combined have continued to set new peak output records through the year, with certain days seeing wind provide close to half of UK demand.

Solar has delivered more of the mid day load on bright summer days and continues to erode mid merit fossil generation.

Yet at the same time, the system is paying out to turn clean generation down because power cannot move from where it is produced to where it is used.

Commentators point to curtailment costs running into the billions over recent years, driven by constraints on north to south transmission and limited local demand in some of the windiest regions (for example, coverage in The Guardian and specialist titles such as Recharge and Utility Week).

This is the tension developers talk about.

On one hand, the resource is there.

On the other, they still face long, uncertain journeys from consented project to energised asset, especially when constrained by grid.

From a talent point of view, the growth in built capacity is pushing more demand into operations, asset management and optimisation roles, not just construction.

We are seeing more clients look for engineers and analysts who can squeeze additional performance out of existing wind and solar fleets while they wait for new projects to connect.

4. Storage steps out of the shadows

If there is one part of the market where the mood feels genuinely different this year, it is storage.

By mid decade Britain had already become Europe’s largest battery storage market.

Analysts expect installed capacity to more than quadruple from mid 2020s levels by 2030, helped by a maturing route to market and a growing number of projects that combine batteries with solar or wind (for example analysis from Aurora Energy Research and RenewableUK).

Policy caught up with that reality in 2025.

Ofgem confirmed that seventy seven long duration electricity storage projects would proceed to the final assessment stage of its cap and floor style support scheme, the super battery programme designed to secure investment and stop green power being wasted, with industry coverage such as this ReNews article.

These projects sit alongside a growing pipeline of shorter duration lithium ion battery sites, many of which are now presented to investors as core infrastructure rather than speculative merchant bets.

For employers this has three consequences.

• A wider spread of skills is now needed at development stage. Grid specialists, route to market experts, system designers and people who understand both physical assets and power markets.
• Construction and commissioning teams are dealing with more complex sites, often with multiple asset classes behind a single connection.
• Control rooms are changing, with greater emphasis on real time optimisation of storage as part of a portfolio rather than just dispatching generation.

We are already seeing candidates with battery experience becoming some of the most sought after people in the market, whether they sit in engineering, commercial or operations.

5. Co location moves into the mainstream

Co location is no longer a niche concept that only a few developers play with.

In simple terms, co location means putting different technologies on the same site, usually sharing land rights and grid infrastructure.

The most common combination today is solar plus storage, although there is growing interest in pairing batteries with wind and, in time, hydrogen production.

Regulatory clarity has improved this year.

Legal and industry analysis through 2025 has highlighted fresh guidance on how storage can sit alongside existing renewable assets under schemes such as the Renewables Obligation, Feed in Tariffs, REGOs and Smart Export Guarantee without jeopardising support.

At the same time, planning and network reforms have nudged developers toward co location where it makes best use of scarce grid capacity.

Industry coverage describes co located solar and storage as one of the most important trends in the current pipeline, with developers aiming to maximise revenue from a single connection point.

In recruitment terms, co location creates genuine hybrid roles. Project managers who understand both solar and storage. Grid engineers who can design for complex import and export profiles.

Commercial leads who can structure contracts across multiple assets.

6. Grid and connections, from zombie queues to a new pipeline

Everything above depends on grid.

For years, outdated rules left UK projects stuck in a first come, first served queue that had grown to more than seven hundred gigawatts, roughly four times what is needed for the 2030 target.

NESO describes the new pipeline as a turning point, with a re ordered queue that prioritises deliverable projects and future needs such as solar farms, data centres and EV super hubs.

NESO’s own summary states that the new connections pipeline has the potential to unlock around forty billion pounds of investment each year while keeping the system aligned to the Clean Power by 2030 target.

At the same time, Ofgem agreed early investment and updated delivery dates for three major electricity superhighway projects, including Eastern Green Link subsea cables and a new high voltage connection between Grimsby and Walpole, all designed to move more power from generation rich regions to demand centres, with coverage such as this Guardian article exploring the implications.

This is an important shift but it is not a magic wand.

Many developers are still working through the detail of their new connection offers.

Local opposition to new lines remains a real risk. In the meantime, costs are rising as network investment is funded through bills, something consumer press has been quick to highlight, for example coverage of the twenty eight billion pound grid package in The Guardian.

For hiring, grid reform has changed the shape of demand.

We are seeing more roles that sit at the intersection of technical and regulatory work.

Grid and connections managers, electrical engineers who can navigate G99, and project leaders who can translate NESO offers into realistic build schedules.

7. What 2025 felt like on the ground

Strip away the announcements and you are left with how this year actually felt for the organisations Astute supports.

For developers, 2025 has been about re baselining.

Many have had to revisit their portfolios as new grid offers arrive, focusing attention on the projects that will move first and quietly parking others.

That has had knock on effects for internal teams and contractors, especially where roles were tied to specific projects with now uncertain timelines.

For asset owners and operators, the focus has been on squeezing as much value as possible out of existing fleets.

We have seen growing demand for asset management, performance engineering and data roles across wind, solar and storage.

The priority is to improve availability, cut unplanned outages and make better use of the data that existing SCADA and EMS systems already collect.

For investors and independent power producers, this year has reinforced two truths.

Grid and planning risk still dominate early stage project decisions, and flexible assets that can respond to price volatility look more attractive than ever.

Across all three groups one theme keeps coming up.

The businesses that moved fastest were usually the ones that had already invested in the right people, either by hiring specialist roles or by upskilling their existing teams.

8. The talent picture, skills that grew in value

From a talent perspective, 2025 has pulled certain roles into sharp focus.

In development, there is a premium on people who can bridge disciplines.

Grid connection specialists who also understand commercial structures. Land and planning professionals who can navigate local politics and national policy. Project developers who can take a scheme from concept through to a bankable, shovel ready asset.

In construction and commissioning, the most in demand people are those with repeatable experience on complex sites. High voltage and balance of plant engineers, BESS commissioning engineers, site managers who have delivered hybrid solar plus storage or solar plus grid reinforcement projects.

On the operations side, we are seeing greater demand for asset optimisation skills. Control room teams who can work across generation and storage.

Analysts who can interpret performance data and work with traders or commercial teams.

Engineers who are comfortable operating in plants where software, controls and digital tools are just as important as mechanical and electrical equipment.

Soft factors also matter.

Candidates increasingly expect clear progression routes, support with training and professional development, and a realistic approach to flexible working, particularly for roles that do not need to be tied to a specific site five days a week.

Clients who adapted their hiring processes to match this reality, for example by shortening interview stages or being honest about salary position at the outset, generally had more success securing the people they needed.

9. Looking ahead to 2026

So what does all of this mean for 2026 and beyond.

On the system side, much of the work is about implementation.

The principles and plans are clearer than they have been for years. The Solar Roadmap sets out the actions needed to grow solar across all scales.

NESO has reshaped the connections pipeline to focus on deliverable projects. Ofgem has lined up major network investments and support schemes for long duration storage.

The big question is how quickly those reforms translate into bricks in the ground and electrons on the grid.

From where we sit, a few bets feel sensible.

• Grid and connections expertise will remain one of the tightest skills bottlenecks, both inside network companies and within developers.
• Experience on co located and storage projects will become even more valuable as more of these schemes move into construction and operation.
• Operations, asset management and optimisation teams will grow in importance as owners look to capture every megawatt hour they can from existing portfolios.

For any organisation planning to build or expand UK renewables and storage projects in 2026, three questions are worth asking now.

1. Do we have a clear view of how grid reforms affect our pipeline and the skills we need.
2. Are our hiring processes set up to compete for scarce talent in solar, storage and grid, or are they still built around a slower, more abundant market.
3. Are we investing enough in developing our existing people, rather than relying purely on lateral hires.

If the honest answer to any of those is no, now is the time to act.

Astute works with developers, asset owners and operators across the UK renewables and storage market.

If you would like to stress test your hiring plans for 2026 or understand where you might face skills gaps, speak to our renewables team or upload your CV and we will be in touch.