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Solar panel cost in Orkney Islands (KW15)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for KW15 (Orkney Islands) in under a minute using official UK data. Start with the calculator, then get a no-obligation quote from an MCS-certified installer. You can also ask the SolarByPostcode assistant to sanity-check your roof, bills and plans.

Solar Calculator

Change the settings below to see how costs and savings work for your situation.

System Size

Roof Direction

Battery Storage

Export Value

Your Numbers

Break-even
11.8 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£691
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£9,134
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

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How we calculate this

Solar generation: Based on typical south-facing roof at 35° angle. We account for weather, dirt, and system losses (14%).

How much you'll use directly:

  • Without battery: You'll use about 40% of what you generate. The rest gets sold back to the grid.
  • With 5 kWh battery: You'll use about 70% (battery stores extra for evening use).
  • With 10 kWh battery: You'll use about 75% (more storage means less exported).
  • Panel-only payback: The official cost per kW is lower above 4 kW, so a 5–6 kW system can pay back a little faster than a 3–4 kW system on otherwise identical assumptions.
  • Battery & payback: Batteries raise self-use and cut bills, but added hardware cost often lengthens break-even at typical UK rates.
  • When a battery can still make sense:
    • Evening-heavy usage patterns
    • Time-of-use tariffs / cheap night rates
    • Low export rate vs. high unit rate
    • Heat pump or EV charging synergy
    • Optional backup/resilience (system-dependent)
    • Lower evening-hour CO₂ vs. grid

Panel costs: Uses March 2026 TIC mean installation costs: £1,827/kW up to 4 kW and £1,628/kW above 4 kW.

Other costs: Battery prices are modelled at £700 per kWh. Export tariffs vary by supplier (usually 5–15p per kWh).

Grid connection: Systems up to about 3.7 kW typically need just a notification (G98). Larger systems may need permission (G99).

These are typical values based on average usage patterns. Your actual results will vary based on your roof, shading, and how you use electricity.

Your area in context

In Northern Scotland, the current unit rate is 26.42p/kWh with a 57.55p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 834 kWh/kW — 19 above the regional median (815).

Read the full story

A typical roof here lands around 5.0 kW, with most eligible homes comfortably fitting within 3–6 kW. Each kilowatt of panels produces roughly 834 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 26.4p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
26.4p/kWh
Standing charge
57.5p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
834 kWh/kW
Export price (baseline)
10p/kWh

Browse the scenarios below. Each battery size has its own expand — open the one that matches your plan (or just explore). For each system size (2–8 kW) we show annual output, how much you use directly, what gets exported, annual benefit, upfront cost, break-even, and a 20-year net. Negative numbers are possible — that’s the honest trade-off when adding more battery than your usage profile justifies.

No battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £691, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 11.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1668 kWh 667 kWh 1001 kWh £176 £100 £276 £3,256 11.8 yrs £2,272
3 kW 2502 kWh 1001 kWh 1501 kWh £264 £150 £415 £4,883 11.8 yrs £3,407
4 kW 3336 kWh 1334 kWh 2002 kWh £353 £200 £553 £6,511 11.8 yrs £4,543
5 kW 4170 kWh 1668 kWh 2502 kWh £441 £250 £691 £8,139 11.8 yrs £5,679
6 kW 5004 kWh 2002 kWh 3002 kWh £529 £300 £829 £9,767 11.8 yrs £6,815
7 kW 5838 kWh 2335 kWh 3503 kWh £617 £350 £967 £11,394 11.8 yrs £7,951
8 kW 6672 kWh 2669 kWh 4003 kWh £705 £400 £1,105 £13,022 11.8 yrs £9,087

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £828, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 12.4 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1668 kWh 1001 kWh 667 kWh £264 £67 £331 £5,356 16.2 yrs £1,267
3 kW 2502 kWh 1501 kWh 1001 kWh £397 £100 £497 £6,983 14.1 yrs £2,951
4 kW 3336 kWh 2002 kWh 1334 kWh £529 £133 £662 £8,611 13.0 yrs £4,634
5 kW 4170 kWh 2502 kWh 1668 kWh £661 £167 £828 £10,239 12.4 yrs £6,318
6 kW 5004 kWh 3002 kWh 2002 kWh £793 £200 £993 £11,867 11.9 yrs £8,002
7 kW 5838 kWh 3503 kWh 2335 kWh £925 £234 £1,159 £13,494 11.6 yrs £9,685
8 kW 6672 kWh 4003 kWh 2669 kWh £1,058 £267 £1,325 £15,122 11.4 yrs £11,369

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £896, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 13.0 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1668 kWh 1168 kWh 500 kWh £308 £50 £359 £6,756 18.8 yrs £415
3 kW 2502 kWh 1751 kWh 751 kWh £463 £75 £538 £8,383 15.6 yrs £2,372
4 kW 3336 kWh 2335 kWh 1001 kWh £617 £100 £717 £10,011 14.0 yrs £4,330
5 kW 4170 kWh 2919 kWh 1251 kWh £771 £125 £896 £11,639 13.0 yrs £6,287
6 kW 5004 kWh 3503 kWh 1501 kWh £925 £150 £1,076 £13,267 12.3 yrs £8,245
7 kW 5838 kWh 4087 kWh 1751 kWh £1,080 £175 £1,255 £14,894 11.9 yrs £10,202
8 kW 6672 kWh 4670 kWh 2002 kWh £1,234 £200 £1,434 £16,522 11.5 yrs £12,160

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £917, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 14.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1668 kWh 1218 kWh 450 kWh £322 £45 £367 £8,506 23.2 yrs £-1,171
3 kW 2502 kWh 1826 kWh 676 kWh £483 £68 £550 £10,133 18.4 yrs £869
4 kW 3336 kWh 2435 kWh 901 kWh £643 £90 £733 £11,761 16.0 yrs £2,909
5 kW 4170 kWh 3044 kWh 1126 kWh £804 £113 £917 £13,389 14.6 yrs £4,948
6 kW 5004 kWh 3653 kWh 1351 kWh £965 £135 £1,100 £15,017 13.6 yrs £6,988
7 kW 5838 kWh 4262 kWh 1576 kWh £1,126 £158 £1,284 £16,644 13.0 yrs £9,028
8 kW 6672 kWh 4871 kWh 1801 kWh £1,287 £180 £1,467 £18,272 12.5 yrs £11,067

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £931, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 16.3 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1668 kWh 1251 kWh 417 kWh £331 £42 £372 £10,256 27.6 yrs £-2,811
3 kW 2502 kWh 1877 kWh 626 kWh £496 £63 £558 £11,883 21.3 yrs £-717
4 kW 3336 kWh 2502 kWh 834 kWh £661 £83 £744 £13,511 18.1 yrs £1,378
5 kW 4170 kWh 3128 kWh 1043 kWh £826 £104 £931 £15,139 16.3 yrs £3,472
6 kW 5004 kWh 3753 kWh 1251 kWh £992 £125 £1,117 £16,767 15.0 yrs £5,567
7 kW 5838 kWh 4379 kWh 1460 kWh £1,157 £146 £1,303 £18,394 14.1 yrs £7,661
8 kW 6672 kWh 5004 kWh 1668 kWh £1,322 £167 £1,489 £20,022 13.4 yrs £9,755

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £944, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 18.6 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1668 kWh 1284 kWh 384 kWh £339 £38 £378 £12,706 33.6 yrs £-5,152
3 kW 2502 kWh 1927 kWh 575 kWh £509 £58 £567 £14,333 25.3 yrs £-3,002
4 kW 3336 kWh 2569 kWh 767 kWh £679 £77 £755 £15,961 21.1 yrs £-853
5 kW 4170 kWh 3211 kWh 959 kWh £848 £96 £944 £17,589 18.6 yrs £1,296
6 kW 5004 kWh 3853 kWh 1151 kWh £1,018 £115 £1,133 £19,217 17.0 yrs £3,445
7 kW 5838 kWh 4495 kWh 1343 kWh £1,188 £134 £1,322 £20,844 15.8 yrs £5,594
8 kW 6672 kWh 5138 kWh 1535 kWh £1,357 £153 £1,511 £22,472 14.9 yrs £7,744

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 1,628, battery £/kWh = 700.

Figures are illustrative and use the same method as the calculator above. For exact results, adjust your roof direction, tariff, and usage in the calculator.

Before you request quotes in Orkney Islands

Use the numbers above to sanity-check installer quotes. The main things to compare are system size, battery assumptions, payback claims, MCS certification, DNO paperwork and export assumptions.

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Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

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Insights for KW15

Figures below are tailored to KW15 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2826 of 2996
13.2 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£553 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2738 of 2996
38.0% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£553 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −20.2% West −22.4%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in KW15

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 14 Jan 36 Feb 71 Mar 104 Apr 123 May 118 Jun 114 Jul 100 Aug 74 Sep 46 Oct 22 Nov 11 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 29.6% of an average month (Dec–Feb)

Best / worst month: May / Dec

These figures show output per kilowatt (kW) of panels installed. In winter, a 1 kW system here produces about 21 kWh per month; the average month produces around 70 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 82 kWh in winter, or 278 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/day
Local Sunshine
834kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~834 kWh per year. A typical home uses ~2,700 kWh per year.
Typical System Size
5.0kW
For houses & bungalows in this area

Local Property Data

Property Types

No EPC data available for this outcode

Coverage

Orkney Islands (100%)

Areas Covered

Kirkwall West and Orphir, Kirkwall East, West Mainland

Data Sources & Assumptions

Solar yield: PVGIS (EU Joint Research Centre), January 2025 data

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q3 2026

Installation costs: DESNZ/MCS data, March 2026 (TIC)

Property data: EPC open data (Open Government Licence), aggregated

All estimates are typical values. Actual results vary based on your specific situation, roof characteristics, and usage patterns.

Compare nearby areas

Nearby in Northern Scotland

KW17 (Orkney Islands)
≈6.0 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · -5% vs KW15
KW16 (Orkney Islands)
≈19.6 km away
Local sunshine: ~806 kWh/kWp · -3% vs KW15
KW14 (Highland)
≈54.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~813 kWh/kWp · -2% vs KW15
KW1 (Highland)
≈60.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~815 kWh/kWp · -2% vs KW15
KW12 (Highland)
≈60.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~828 kWh/kWp · -1% vs KW15
KW2 (Highland)
≈71.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~832 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW15

Similar sunshine across the UK

G40 (Glasgow City)
~834 kWh/kWp · -0% vs KW15
G31 (Glasgow City)
~834 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW15
OL15 (Rochdale)
~834 kWh/kWp · +0% vs KW15