Best & Worst Cities for Solar: Rankings

Which UK city is best for solar panels?

50 UK cities ranked by annual solar savings (4kW system, 40% self-consumption, Ofgem cap 24.5p/kWh): TOP 10: (1) Portsmouth £1,080/yr, (2) Southampton £1,050/yr, (3) Brighton £1,030/yr, (4) Plymouth £1,010/yr, (5) Exeter £990/yr, (6) Bournemouth £980/yr, (7) Bristol £960/yr, (8) London £940/yr, (9) Oxford £930/yr, (10) Cambridge £920/yr. MIDDLE: (11) Norwich £900/yr, (20) Birmingham £830/yr, (25) Manchester £790/yr, (30) Leeds £770/yr, (35) Newcastle £720/yr. BOTTOM 10: (41) Dundee £680/yr, (42) Stirling £670/yr, (43) Carlisle £660/yr, (44) Derry £650/yr, (45) Perth £650/yr, (46) Glasgow £640/yr, (47) Edinburgh £640/yr, (48) Belfast £630/yr, (49) Aberdeen £620/yr, (50) Inverness £620/yr. KEY FINDING: the gap between best (#1 Portsmouth) and worst (#50 Inverness) is only 43%. Solar is financially viable in EVERY UK city — even the 'worst' city delivers 100%+ ROI over 25 years. Sources: PVGIS irradiance data for each city (re.jrc.ec.europa.eu), Ofgem Q1 2026 price cap (ofgem.gov.uk), MCS average installation costs (mcscertified.com).