Solar power in the UK almost doubled in 2014, with total installations on homes, businesses, and even bridges, surpassing 650,000, according to year end figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

The almost five gigawatts of solar photovoltaic panels now is enough to supply the equivalent of 1.5 million homes in the UK, according to the solar industry.

The data shows that more than 125,000 homes got small-scale solar PV panels installed on their roof last year. Slightly larger solar installations – on schools, village halls or business units – grew by over 50% in the fourth quarter of 2014, compared to the previous three month period, with 164 new installations.

Paul Barwell, chief executive of the Solar Trade Association called it a milestone achievement for Britain’s several thousand solar businesses. “These small and medium sized companies are at the forefront of a real solar transformation as the technology steadily becomes one of the cheapest sources of clean, home-grown power.”

(READ more in the Guardian) – Photo by ATIS547, via CC license