2025 is the UK's sunniest year ever - with record levels for solar power

The UK has recorded its sunniest year ever - and we are only halfway through December.

But a bumper spring and summer for sunshine have already put 2025 firmly in the top spot for sunshine hours across the UK, according to provisional Met Office statistics.

The sunny spells were driven by frequent periods of high pressure that reduced clouds and locked in sunny skies for many parts of the country.

Though it may be hard to believe, Britain's weather has generally been getting sunnier over the past few decades - but scientists can't yet say why.

This year, up until 15 December, the country clocked up 1,622 hours of sunshine, beating the previous sunniest year of 2003.

All that sunshine drove a record year for solar power, by a huge margin.

Met Office senior scientist Mike Kendon said: "Spring was exceptional, and many will remember the long spells of days with largely unbroken sunshine."

So far this year, only the months of February and October recorded below-average sunshine hours, he added.

But the bounties were not shared equally across the nations.

England enjoyed its sunniest year ever. But 2025 has likely not even made the top 10 for Northern Ireland, even though it was above average.

Scotland is on course for its second-sunniest year, and Wales its sixth, albeit with two weeks still to go.

Why is the UK getting sunnier?

The UK has broadly been getting sunnier since the 1980s, but the cause of the trend remains a mystery.

It could "simply be down to natural variability", the Met Office said, meaning it could well change in future.

Or it may be explained by a "reduction in particulates [known as aerosols] over the UK, partly due to clean air laws introduced to combat acid rain", said Edward Gryspeerdt, associate professor in atmospheric physics, Imperial College London.

Aerosols cause clouds to reflect less light, so fewer of them allows more sunshine down to Earth.

There is "no definitive evidence" that climate change is impacting sunshine levels, according to the Met Office.

Solar energy in the limelight

All that sunshine, combined with the build out of more solar farms and panels on roofs, meant solar power soared to record levels in 2025.

By November, solar had already generated 18Twh of electricity, far more than the 14Twh by the end of December last year.

John Marsham, professor of atmospheric science at Leeds University, said solar energy was "helping to lower prices" of electricity by breaking the link with gas prices.

The Ember thinktank also found just 2% of days in a typical year have both low wind and low sunshine, meaning 98% of the time it is either windy or sunny.

Ember analyst Frankie Mayo said: "At a national scale, solar power pairs well with wind farms which generate more in winter, when it's less sunny."

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However, large solar farms have proved unpopular in some local communities for their impact on the landscape, such as in Lincolnshire, where several large sites recently were given the go-ahead.

Craig Dyke from the UK's energy system operator NESO said: "It's hard to believe how far Britain has come over the past quarter of a century, with renewables now producing around 60% of our electricity - up from just 3% in the year 2000."

(c) Sky News 2025: 2025 is the UK's sunniest year ever - with record levels for solar power