As the spring sun makes a welcome appearance in Oxfordshire, we look at the region’s advances in solar power.
Oxford PV has recently expanded its footprint via a major patent licensing agreement with US firm First Solar, enabling the American manufacturer to develop thin film perovskite devices. Since 2010, Oxford PV has developed perovskite tandem cells, a low cost, highly efficient photovoltaic technology that integrates with standard silicon solar cells to dramatically improve performance.
The firm has also been ranked in LexisNexis UK’s ten most innovative startups for its industry leading patent portfolio and features in the 2026 Global Cleantech 100 for breakthrough efficiency and emissions savings.
Headquartered in Oxford Pioneer Park, Oxford PV has manufacturing facilities in Germany and is planning further scale-up in China through licensing with Trina Solar. It has received over £100 million in funding from institutions including German solar specialist Meyer Burger and Chinese wind turbine maker Goldwind.
At Harwell campus, Space Solar is working on harnessing constant, clean solar power from space that is unaffected by the weather, seasons, or time of day. After concentrating sunlight on solar panels and mirrors on a satellite, the electricity generated can be converted into high frequency radio waves and beamed to receiving antennae on the ground. Advances in space accessibility has made the technology technically viable and economically competitive with other renewables. Having access to abundant, affordable energy will be vital for energy security and could help address the growing need for electricity, where, due to the proliferation of AI data centres, demand is set to double by 2030.
The UK solar sector is set to grow after the government awarded contracts last month to a record 157 solar developments, as part of its strategy for having at least 95% of electricity from clean sources by 2030, including up to 54-57GW of solar power capacity. At the same time, it announced a £1 billion Local Power Plan to support community owned clean energy generation projects, including £5 million for putting solar on public buildings.
Globally, solar is now the cheapest energy source[1] – even in the UK – and is expected to account for nearly 80% of new renewable capacity added by 2030.
Other Oxfordshire solar firsts
- Howbery Business Park near Wallingford in south Oxfordshire is the UK’s first solar-powered park. It offers specialist research capabilities to spinouts and start-ups in the water and environment sector.
- Oxfordshire could soon be home to one of Europe's largest solar farms, with a decision due imminently on the 2,000-acre 840MW Botley West scheme to the north and west of Oxford.
[1] https://carboncredits.com/solar-now-the-worlds-cheapest-energy-powering-the-clean-transition/
Image provided by Howbery Business Park