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Solar Panels in ZE1 (Shetland Islands)

See if solar pays off for you in Shetland Islands — price, savings and payback in under a minute (official UK data).

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
16.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£10,173
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£626
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£5,484
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: Bigger systems don’t shorten payback—cost and savings rise together per kW.
  • 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

Costs: Battery prices are typically £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 27.06p/kWh with a 61.00p/day standing charge. Your postcode’s south-facing sunshine yield is 744 kWh/kW — 71 below 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 744 kWh per year on a south-facing roof. We value self-used electricity at 27.1p and exported surplus at a baseline 10p via SEG. Use the calculator above for your exact tariff.

Unit rate
27.1p/kWh
Standing charge
61.0p/day
Sunshine yield (south)
744 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: £626, Upfront: £10,173, Break-even: 16.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 596 kWh 893 kWh £161 £89 £250 £4,069 16.2 yrs £941
3 kW 2233 kWh 893 kWh 1340 kWh £242 £134 £376 £6,104 16.2 yrs £1,411
4 kW 2978 kWh 1191 kWh 1787 kWh £322 £179 £501 £8,138 16.2 yrs £1,882
5 kW 3722 kWh 1489 kWh 2233 kWh £403 £223 £626 £10,173 16.2 yrs £2,352
6 kW 4467 kWh 1787 kWh 2680 kWh £483 £268 £751 £12,207 16.2 yrs £2,823
7 kW 5211 kWh 2085 kWh 3127 kWh £564 £313 £877 £14,242 16.2 yrs £3,293
8 kW 5956 kWh 2382 kWh 3573 kWh £645 £357 £1,002 £16,276 16.2 yrs £3,764

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

3 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £753, Upfront: £12,273, 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 1489 kWh 893 kWh 596 kWh £242 £60 £301 £6,169 20.5 yrs £-143
3 kW 2233 kWh 1340 kWh 893 kWh £363 £89 £452 £8,204 18.2 yrs £836
4 kW 2978 kWh 1787 kWh 1191 kWh £483 £119 £603 £10,238 17.0 yrs £1,814
5 kW 3722 kWh 2233 kWh 1489 kWh £604 £149 £753 £12,273 16.3 yrs £2,793
6 kW 4467 kWh 2680 kWh 1787 kWh £725 £179 £904 £14,307 15.8 yrs £3,771
7 kW 5211 kWh 3127 kWh 2085 kWh £846 £208 £1,055 £16,342 15.5 yrs £4,750
8 kW 5956 kWh 3573 kWh 2382 kWh £967 £238 £1,205 £18,376 15.2 yrs £5,728

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £817, Upfront: £13,673, Break-even: 16.7 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 1042 kWh 447 kWh £282 £45 £327 £7,569 23.2 yrs £-1,035
3 kW 2233 kWh 1563 kWh 670 kWh £423 £67 £490 £9,604 19.6 yrs £198
4 kW 2978 kWh 2085 kWh 893 kWh £564 £89 £653 £11,638 17.8 yrs £1,430
5 kW 3722 kWh 2606 kWh 1117 kWh £705 £112 £817 £13,673 16.7 yrs £2,663
6 kW 4467 kWh 3127 kWh 1340 kWh £846 £134 £980 £15,707 16.0 yrs £3,895
7 kW 5211 kWh 3648 kWh 1563 kWh £987 £156 £1,143 £17,742 15.5 yrs £5,128
8 kW 5956 kWh 4169 kWh 1787 kWh £1,128 £179 £1,307 £19,776 15.1 yrs £6,360

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

7.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £836, Upfront: £15,423, Break-even: 18.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 1087 kWh 402 kWh £294 £40 £334 £9,319 27.9 yrs £-2,633
3 kW 2233 kWh 1630 kWh 603 kWh £441 £60 £501 £11,354 22.6 yrs £-1,324
4 kW 2978 kWh 2174 kWh 804 kWh £588 £80 £669 £13,388 20.0 yrs £-15
5 kW 3722 kWh 2717 kWh 1005 kWh £735 £101 £836 £15,423 18.5 yrs £1,294
6 kW 4467 kWh 3261 kWh 1206 kWh £882 £121 £1,003 £17,457 17.4 yrs £2,602
7 kW 5211 kWh 3804 kWh 1407 kWh £1,029 £141 £1,170 £19,492 16.7 yrs £3,911
8 kW 5956 kWh 4348 kWh 1608 kWh £1,176 £161 £1,337 £21,526 16.1 yrs £5,220

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

10 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £849, Upfront: £17,173, Break-even: 20.2 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 1117 kWh 372 kWh £302 £37 £339 £11,069 32.6 yrs £-4,281
3 kW 2233 kWh 1675 kWh 558 kWh £453 £56 £509 £13,104 25.7 yrs £-2,921
4 kW 2978 kWh 2233 kWh 744 kWh £604 £74 £679 £15,138 22.3 yrs £-1,562
5 kW 3722 kWh 2792 kWh 931 kWh £755 £93 £849 £17,173 20.2 yrs £-202
6 kW 4467 kWh 3350 kWh 1117 kWh £907 £112 £1,018 £19,207 18.9 yrs £1,157
7 kW 5211 kWh 3908 kWh 1303 kWh £1,058 £130 £1,188 £21,242 17.9 yrs £2,517
8 kW 5956 kWh 4467 kWh 1489 kWh £1,209 £149 £1,358 £23,276 17.1 yrs £3,876

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, battery £/kWh = 700.

13.5 kWh battery 5 kW example → Annual benefit: £861, Upfront: £19,623, Break-even: 22.8 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 1146 kWh 342 kWh £310 £34 £344 £13,519 39.2 yrs £-6,629
3 kW 2233 kWh 1720 kWh 514 kWh £465 £51 £517 £15,554 30.1 yrs £-5,219
4 kW 2978 kWh 2293 kWh 685 kWh £620 £68 £689 £17,588 25.5 yrs £-3,809
5 kW 3722 kWh 2866 kWh 856 kWh £776 £86 £861 £19,623 22.8 yrs £-2,398
6 kW 4467 kWh 3439 kWh 1027 kWh £931 £103 £1,033 £21,657 21.0 yrs £-988
7 kW 5211 kWh 4013 kWh 1199 kWh £1,086 £120 £1,206 £23,692 19.6 yrs £422
8 kW 5956 kWh 4586 kWh 1370 kWh £1,241 £137 £1,378 £25,726 18.7 yrs £1,833

Assumptions: south-facing, sensible tilt; self-use shares from site rules; export at 10p baseline. Costs: panels £/kW = 2,035, 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.

Insights for ZE1

Figures below are tailored to ZE1 — click through for full league tables.

Solar Payback Index Rank #2954 of 2997
14.1 years (UK avg 11.3 years)
~£577 /yr • £8,138 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2952 of 2997
38.6% (UK avg 21.7%) drag on savings
£223 fixed • ~£577 /yr value

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
27.06p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
61.00p/day
Local Sunshine
744kWh/kW
A 1 kW system generates ~744 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

Shetland Islands (100%)

Areas Covered

Lerwick North and Bressay, Lerwick South, Shetland Central

Data Sources & Assumptions

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

Electricity rates: Ofgem price cap, Q4 2025

Installation costs: MCS certified installer data, March 2025

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

ZE2 (Shetland Islands)
≈16.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~731 kWh/kWp · -2% vs ZE1
ZE3 (Shetland Islands)
≈30.8 km away
Local sunshine: ~799 kWh/kWp · +7% vs ZE1
KW17 (Orkney Islands)
≈161.7 km away
Local sunshine: ~789 kWh/kWp · +6% vs ZE1
KW15 (Orkney Islands)
≈165.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~834 kWh/kWp · +12% vs ZE1
KW16 (Orkney Islands)
≈179.2 km away
Local sunshine: ~806 kWh/kWp · +8% vs ZE1
KW14 (Highland)
≈219.4 km away
Local sunshine: ~813 kWh/kWp · +9% vs ZE1

Similar sunshine across the UK

PA19 (Inverclyde)
~756 kWh/kWp · +1% vs ZE1
DL11 (North Yorkshire)
~765 kWh/kWp · +3% vs ZE1
G84 (Argyll and Bute)
~766 kWh/kWp · +3% vs ZE1