STATE OF THE SECTOR

UK FE College Solar — Latest Updates

Industry updates covering PSDS rounds, Salix programme changes, AoC and EAUC Climate Action Roadmap progress, T-Level Capital, Skills England, regional policy.

Updated monthlyAoC-alignedPolicy-tracked
What's driving the UK FE college solar sector in 2026?
Three structural forces: (1) the AoC and EAUC Climate Action Roadmap mandate for board-approved Climate Action Plans by end-2025 (now hit by 95% of AoC member colleges), (2) PSDS Phase 4 active funding round + forthcoming Phase 5, and (3) Skills England's green skills throughput priority making solar curriculum integration increasingly valuable for T-Level Capital bidding.
AoC CAP adoption
95% of member colleges
EAUC Scorecard sector avg
Bronze-Silver
PSDS Phase 4 FE awards
£22m (round 3)
T-Level Capital green-skills weight
12% (up from 8%)

Next major sector deadline

T-Level Capital Fund round 5 opens
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Sector statistics dashboard

📋
95%
AoC member CAP adoption
As of May 2026
🥉
62%
EAUC Scorecard Bronze tier
FE sector 2025-26
💷
£22m
PSDS Phase 4 FE round 3
Across 8 corporations
📈
31%
T-Level BSE enrolment up YoY
Skills England Q1 2026

Recent updates

Funding

PSDS Phase 4 round 3 awards announced

DESNZ confirmed £148m of awards across 47 public sector bodies in PSDS Phase 4 round 3. FE estate received £22m across 8 corporations including 3 land-based colleges. Round 4 expected to open autumn 2026.

Compliance

AoC Climate Action Roadmap end-2025 mandate enforcement

95% of AoC member colleges now report board-approved Climate Action Plans against the November 2024 Roadmap framework. Remaining 5% face EAUC Sustainability Leadership Scorecard exclusion from 2026-27 cycle.

Policy

Skills England Q1 2026 update — green skills priority confirmed

Skills England published its first quarterly update covering green skills throughput targets. T-Level Building Services Engineering enrolment up 31% year-on-year. FE colleges with on-campus solar installs cited as enrolment driver.

Funding

Salix Decarbonisation Loan annual limit reviewed

Salix Finance signalled willingness to consider single-project loans above £600k for multi-site FE group corporation portfolios. Three FE corporations have received discretionary approvals at £800k-£1.2m in early 2026.

Policy

Welsh Government Net Zero Wales 2030 — FE compliance pathway

Welsh Government published refreshed Net Zero Wales 2030 implementation guidance specifically covering the Welsh FE sector. CAVC, Coleg Cambria, and Coleg Gwent flagged as sector leaders on Climate Action Plan delivery.

Grid

NIE Networks G99 turnaround now 12-week average

NIE Networks confirmed G99 application processing average has reduced to 12 weeks for installs above 50 kW per phase — fastest UK DNO performance. Five NI FE colleges in active G99 application stage.

Funding

T-Level Capital Fund round 5 announcement

DfE confirmed T-Level Capital Fund round 5 will open August 2026 with £180m available. Embedded sustainability scoring weighting increased from 8% to 12% — meaning on-roof solar in new workshops more decisive for bid success.

Compliance

EAUC Sustainability Leadership Scorecard 2025-26 cycle results

EAUC published aggregate 2025-26 cycle results. FE sector: 62% Bronze, 24% Silver, 11% Gold, 3% Platinum. Top-performing corporations include Activate Learning, Capital City College Group, LTE Group, and SRUC.

Sources we track

The news feed is updated from primary sources monthly. Our tracked sources include:

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Commercial Solar Across the UK

For MAT and maintained school solar see solar panels for schools.

For nursing and care home solar see solar panels for care homes.

For NHS trust solar see solar panels for hospitals.

For PCC and diocesan solar see solar panels for churches.

For the UK commercial solar hub visit commercial solar installation.

For UK business solar grants see solar panel grants for businesses.