written by Bill Gunyon, independent researcher on renewable energy
Introduction
My report this year is limited to its basic role of updating data on installations generating electricity in Winchester District. I am withholding my usual commentary about the figures and overall progress within the ambition of UK Clean Power 2030. It feels wiser to allow the dust to settle from the current perfect storm of local government reorganisation in Hampshire, unstable national government and the international energy crisis.
My 2024 and 2025 reports offered analysis of a full range of issues, from the quality of local data to projections of electricity generation in a net zero 2050 scenario in our District. Much of that material remains relevant.
Due to time lags in provision of data published by the UK government, the most important figures in this report are effective at 31st December 2024. Where more recent data is available, I have presented the picture as at 31st December 2025. The content assumes a basic understanding of terminology and measures relating to electricity.
Contents
Generation and consumption of electricity
Contribution to energy security
Domestic solar pv
These figures are drawn from the MCS Data Dashboard which tracks small-scale installations (less than 50kW) in the UK. Solar pv data therefore relates almost entirely to rooftop, as opposed to ground-based systems.
Table 1: Small-scale solar pv installed in Winchester District 2021-2025
| Number new installations | Average cost (£) | Average cost per kilowatt (£) | Average kilowatt capacity | Total new kilowatt capacity | |
| 2021 | 574 | 6,910 | 1,868 | 3.7 | 2,123 |
| 2022 | 779 | 7,421 | 1,741 | 4.3 | 3,320 |
| 2023 | 1,010 | 10,459 | 2,022 | 5.2 | 5,224 |
| 2024 | 877 | 7,968 | 1,595 | 5.0 | 4,381 |
| 2025 | 1,013 | 7,719 | 1,549 | 5.0 | 5,048 |
| 5-year totals | 4,247 | 20,096 |
- A 4 kilowatt home system typically requires 10 solar panels, depending on specification.
- The final two columns may not precisely reflect the underlying data because they have been derived from figures in the first three columns, rather than directly from the database.
The fall in local installations in 2024 has been reversed in 2025, but not to the extent of restoring the previous growth pattern. The unit cost of installation is now lower than at any time over this five-year period, reflecting the continuing reduction in the price of solar panels.
Table 2 shows this data in relation to neighbouring districts:
Table 2: Percentage of households installing solar pv
| In last 5 years 2021-2025 | In last 15 years 2011-2025 | ||
| Winchester* | 8.2% | Eastleigh* | 14.7% |
| Eastleigh | 6.5% | Winchester | 14.4% |
| East Hampshire | 6.5% | East Hampshire | 13.9% |
| Test Valley | 4.1% | Test Valley | 8.2% |
| Basingstoke & Deane | 3.9% | Basingstoke & Deane | 7.0% |
*in top ten local authorities in England
Non-domestic solar pv
There is no coherent source of District data for non-domestic solar installations (above 50kW). Table 3 is therefore drawn from disparate sources and is almost certainly incomplete.
Table 3: Non-domestic solar in Winchester District (above 50kW)
| Location | Capacity (kW) | Notes | |
| Rooftop | Ground-based | ||
| Completed | |||
| IBM (Hursley) | 560 | Co-located with 1,500kW battery | |
| Turbomeca UK (Safran Helicopters), Concorde Way, Segensworth | 466 | ||
| TUD Services (UK) Ltd, Concorde Way | 415 | ||
| Instavolt, Three Maids Hill, Winchester | 350 | ||
| Whiteley Shopping Centre | 340 | ||
| Portsmouth Water, Worlds End Pumping Station, Hambledon | 228 | ||
| Garsons Titchfield (garden centre), Whiteley | 210 | ||
| Sparsholt College | 180 | plus 40kW awaiting construction | |
| Hoare Construction Group, Titchfield Lane, Wickham | 170 | ||
| Vaultex Multi-Storey Car Park, Winchester | 161 | ||
| Bear House, GMK Ltd, Concorde Way | 160 | ||
| Whitewool Farm, East Meon | 155 | ||
| Winchester Sport and Leisure Park | 152 | plus 196kW awaiting planning permission | |
| Corhampton Lane Farm | 143 | ||
| Westgate Badminton Centre, Winchester | 100 | ||
| Marwell Zoo | 95 | ||
| St Swithun’s Prep School | 92 | ||
| Whiteley Cinema | 86 | ||
| Jude’s Ice-cream, Twyford | 75 | ||
| Biffa Waste (Winchester) | 60 | ||
| East Stoke Farm, Wonston | 52 | ||
| Concorde House, J&B Hopkins, Concorde Way | 50 | ||
| Long Barn, Hazeley Road, Morestead | 50 | ||
| Silverlake Garage, Shedfield | 50 | ||
| Planning permission granted (or not required) | |||
| Cooper Vision, Concorde Way | 900 | ||
| Sainsburys, Badger Farm, Winchester | 600 | ||
| Fusion 1 & 3, Parkway, Whiteley (Praxis Real Estate) | 410 | ||
| Ring Tower Centre, Winnall, Winchester | 200 | ||
| M3 Moto Service Station, Itchen Valley | 95 | ||
| Unit 1, Trilogy, Concorde Way, Saab Seaeye | 95 | ||
| Multi-Turn, Moorside Road, Winchester | 85 | ||
| Unit 3, Trilogy, Saab | 80 | ||
| TUV, Unit 10, Concorde Park, Whiteley | 50 | ||
| Planning permission awaited | |||
| Winchester Cathedral Estate | 110 | 5 properties in Close | |
| Chesil Lodge, Winchester | 51 | ||
| Uncertain Status | |||
| Winchester Science Centre | 140 | ||
| Boomtown | 1.45MW | ||
Sources include: DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database: May 2026 (over 150kW), SSEN Embedded Capacity Register (over 50kW): May 2026, and Winchester City Council planning platform.
These figures give a total of 4.4MW installed with a further 2.7MW in the pipeline, totalling 7.1MW. Even allowing for the incomplete status of the Table, it is apparent that non-domestic solar pv in our District is contributing no more than a single small solar farm. The disappointing progress of this sector challenges those who argue that solar farms are unnecessary, given the potential of warehouse and other non-domestic rooftop installations.
Car Park solar
There are no known solar installations greater than 50kW associated with car park canopies in Winchester District, either constructed or in the pipeline (the Vaultex project is more akin to a rooftop installation than a canopy).
Community Energy
There are no known community energy installations of solar pv in Winchester District.
Solar Farms
Table 4: Operational solar farms in Winchester District (end of 2025)
| Address | Parish | Operator | Operational | Capacity (MW) |
| Raglington Farm, Botley Road, | Shedfield | Raglingon Farm Solar, owned by Next Energy Solar Fund | 2013 | 5 |
| Whitehill Lane, Alresford | Bishops Sutton | Malwine Solar SPV 1, owned by Renewable Energy Income Partnership | 2014 | 10 |
| Southwick Estate, Belney Lane | Southwick | Welborne Energy, owned by Bluefield Solar Income Fund | 2015 | 40 |
| Field House Farm, Hursley | Hursley | Field House Solar, owned by Foresight Solar Fund | 2015 | 5 |
| Winchester Road, Bishops Waltham | Bishop’s Waltham | Bishop’s Waltham Renewables Ltd, owned by Solafields | 2017 | 12 |
| Forest Farm, Winchester Road, Waltham Chase | Bishop’s Waltham | Next Energy Solar Fund | 2017 | 3 |
| Three Maids Hill, Winchester | Headbourne Worthy | Three Maids Renewable Energy, owned by Sedgwick Solar 3 | 2023 | 25 |
| Total Megawatts (MW) | 100 | |||
Source: SSEN Embedded Capacity Register (Maximum Capacity Export – MVA) – May 2026
There have been no additions to this Table since the Three Maids Hill project became operational in 2023. Delays in construction of approved projects have inflated the District’s pipeline of solar farms. This unbuilt capacity now comfortably exceeds that in operation (Table 5).
Table 5: Pipeline solar farms in Winchester District
| Address | Parish | Operator | Connection Capacity | Notes |
| Planning permission granted | ||||
| Locks Farm | Bishop’s Waltham | Next Power | 12MW | Permission granted March 2023 and revised 2026 – awaiting construction |
| South Lynch Estate | Hursley | Innova | 15MW | Permission (re) granted October 2024. Successful bid in Contracts for Difference Allocation for completion 2028/29 |
| Moorshill Farm, Fontley Road | Wickham | Jardin Smith International | 3MW | Permission granted 2017 and renewed 2020 – awaiting construction |
| Denmead Farm | Denmead | Enso | 50MW | Site is shared with East Hampshire District |
| Home Farm, Hursley | Hursley | Clean Energy Capital | 5MW | Direct wire project for IBM Hursley; under construction |
| 5 parcels of land off Titchfield Lane. | Wickham | Conrad | 50MW | Connection point is at Higglers Farm. |
| Awaiting planning decision | ||||
| Funtley Refuse Tip, Titchfield Lane | Wickham | 10MW | Withdrawn Sept 2023 and resubmitted (to Hampshire County Council) Sept 2024 | |
| Glebe Farm, Waltham Chase | Bishop’s Waltham | Ethical Power | 10MW | battery storage feature has been withdrawn |
| Western Court | Bishops Sutton | ILOS New Energy UK | 5MW | |
| Total pipeline capacity | 160MW |
Source: DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database: May 2026
Other Technologies
Battery Energy Storage
The MCS Data Dashboard records 223 new small-scale installations (less than 50kW) in Winchester District for the full year 2025, representing an increase from 180 in 2024. These figures place the District within the top ten local authorities in England for both years.
Table 6: Battery Energy Storage Systems in Winchester District (utility scale)
| Address | Parish/Ward | Operator | Capacity | Notes |
| Operational | ||||
| Land adjoining Harestock Sub-Station | St Barnabas | Winchester Power | 10MW | |
| Down Farm | Hursley | Conrad | 17MW | |
| Land south of Ash Farm, Titchfield Lane | Wickham | Balanced Grid Works | 49MW | Additional 15MW awaiting construction |
| Planning permission granted | ||||
| Silkstead Farm | Hursley | Balanced Grid Works | 50MW | |
| Land to east of Titchfield Lane | Wickham | Grenergy Renewables UK | 50MW |
Source: DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database: May 2026
Not one of these systems is co-located with a solar farm.
Anaerobic digestion
The new anaerobic digestion project at Three Maids Hill, adjacent to the solar farm, has been fully operational since 1 August 2025, the first application of this technology at scale in Winchester District. A much older similar project approved for Ecotricity at Sparsholt College awaits construction.
Winchester Action on the Climate Crisis has published an illustrated article on how anaerobic digestion turns local agricultural waste into useful resources that benefit the energy system, nearby farms, and local industry.
Generation and consumption of electricity
Table 7: Generation of electricity from installations in Winchester District
| Total Installed Capacity (MW) | Annual Generation (gigawatt hours GWh) | |
| 2018 | 93.0 | 92.1 |
| 2019 | 95.3 | 91.7 |
| 2020 | 96.1 | 92.5 |
| 2021 | 97.5 | 87.9 |
| 2022 | 100.6 | 96.3 |
| 2023 | 105.9 | 93.0 |
| 2024 | 133.6 | 116.8 |
Source (DESNZ): Regional Renewable Statistics September 2025.
Note 1: a small amount of generation “has been suppressed to prevent the output of individual plants being revealed.”
Note 2: due to timelags in reporting, the Three Maids solar farm was excluded from the DESNZ figure for 2023. It was operational throughout that year.
These figures all relate to solar pv. Installations of other technologies are too small to register on this scale. Annual solar generation is determined by the sun’s radiation (insolation) which varies from year to year, occasionally by as much as 10%.
Table 8: Electricity consumption (gigawatt hours per annum)
| Domestic | Non-domestic | Total | |
| 2018 | 226.5 | 368.7 | 595.2 |
| 2019 | 226.8 | 357.3 | 584.1 |
| 2020 | 244.4 | 311.4 | 555.8 |
| 2021 | 236.0 | 323.6 | 559.6 |
| 2022 | 218.3 | 331.1 | 549.4 |
| 2023 | 223.3 | 332.3 | 555.6 |
| 2024 | 228.1 | 332.2 | 560.3 |
There were 57,520 domestic meters and 6,086 non-domestic meters in Winchester District at the end of 2024. Consumption data is compiled from meter readings.
Source (DESNZ): Local Authority Electricity Consumption Statistics (December 2025).
Consumption has been constrained throughout this 7-year period, as efficiency of appliances improves. The expectation now is for gradual increase in demand, as electrification of heating and transport gains momentum.
Contribution to energy security
The concept of national energy security in Clean Power 2030 envisages that “clean sources produce at least as much power as Great Britain consumes in total.” A logical basis for assessing local energy security is to monitor the relationship between the final columns of Tables 7 and 8, working towards a goal that local generation should equate to local demand, in quantity if not in timing. The updated position in Winchester District is shown in Table 9.
Table 9: Contribution of local generation to local demand for electricity
As noted above, due to timelags in reporting, the Three Maids solar farm was excluded from the DESNZ figure for 2023. The impact of the addition of that solar farm is therefore not reflected in this Table until 2024.
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