PVGIS · SolarMapped

Solar potential in United Kingdom

These figures are the unweighted mean of the city locations listed below, not a national average. Two urban points do not represent an entire country, its roofs or its solar installations.

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Sampled-city benchmark

Estimated PV output955kWh/kWp/year
Solar irradiation1,180kWh/m²/year

PV output is estimated electricity from 1 kWp of installed solar panels. Irradiation is sunlight energy received per square meter on the optimally tilted panel plane; it is not electricity.

For a 5 kWp system, multiply the electricity values by five. This simple scaling does not account for roof-specific shading or equipment constraints.

Range across these cities: 888–1,022kWh/kWp/year. Panel tilt and direction are location-specific; see each city.

Monthly solar irradiation and PV output

Highest-output month: May · 114.5kWh/kWp/month. Lowest-output month: December · 34.1kWh/kWp/month.

The chart and table use the mean of the listed cities for each month.

Bar lengths compare monthly PV electricity output; exact output and irradiation values are in the table.
Monthly solar irradiation and PV output — United Kingdom
MonthEstimated PV output (kWh/kWp/month)Solar irradiation (kWh/m²/month)
January35.441.6
February50.559.6
March83.499.7
April109.4134.1
May114.5142.8
June114.3145.3
July113.5146
August102.7130.4
September88.7110.4
October6477.6
November44.853
December34.139.8

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Data and methodology

PVGIS 5.3 (European Commission Joint Research Centre), crystalline silicon, fixed free-standing installation, 1 kWp, 14% system losses, equator-facing panels with optimized tilt and the terrain horizon. Long-term climate estimates are not a forecast or a roof survey. Nearby buildings, trees, roof constraints, snow and local conditions can change actual output.

PVGIS methodology · Sources and assumptions (English) · Download the underlying data (JSON)