More than 35,000 homes and 600 business premises now have solar
photo-voltaic (PV) systems, December figures from regulator Ofgem show.
The capacity of these systems has reached 140 megawatts, a rise of 32% from
106 megawatts last year.
However, solar power capacity is still small compared to wind energy which
has almost 40 times the installed capacity.
Green energy campaigners are calling on the Scottish government to do more
to help homes and businesses harness the power of the sun.
WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: "The total installed solar
capacity may be small when compared to wind energy, but together these solar
panels are helping to prevent thousands of tonnes of climate-damaging emissions
every year.
"The great thing about solar is that it can be deployed easily and
quickly in towns and cities or in places not suitable for wind turbines. Solar
is also complimentary to wind and can share sites and grid connections."
