Independent solar numbers for your postcode using official UK data
Home Regions Guides Compare quotes Solar assistant
Insights
Big Roof Britain Solar Payback Index Standing Charge Drag Roof Direction Penalty Winter Solar Reality Seasonal Solar Output

Solar panel cost in Shetland Islands (ZE1)

See realistic solar installation costs, savings and payback for ZE1 (Shetland 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
13.2 years
After this, it's pure profit
Upfront Cost
£8,139
What you pay to get started
Annual Benefit
£617
What you save every year
Profit Over 25 Years
£7,279
After paying itself off, you're this much ahead

Ready to Get Started?

Get your free quote from Blue Ape Renewables. They'll connect you with MCS-certified installers in your area and handle all the paperwork.

Get Solar Quote →
4.8★ Trustpilot • Octopus Energy trusted partner • MCS certified • No obligation
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 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 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)
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: £617, Upfront: £8,139, Break-even: 13.2 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 £157 £89 £247 £3,256 13.2 yrs £1,678
3 kW 2233 kWh 893 kWh 1340 kWh £236 £134 £370 £4,883 13.2 yrs £2,517
4 kW 2978 kWh 1191 kWh 1787 kWh £315 £179 £493 £6,511 13.2 yrs £3,356
5 kW 3722 kWh 1489 kWh 2233 kWh £393 £223 £617 £8,139 13.2 yrs £4,196
6 kW 4467 kWh 1787 kWh 2680 kWh £472 £268 £740 £9,767 13.2 yrs £5,035
7 kW 5211 kWh 2085 kWh 3127 kWh £551 £313 £863 £11,394 13.2 yrs £5,874
8 kW 5956 kWh 2382 kWh 3573 kWh £629 £357 £987 £13,022 13.2 yrs £6,713

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: £739, Upfront: £10,239, Break-even: 13.9 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 £236 £60 £296 £5,356 18.1 yrs £556
3 kW 2233 kWh 1340 kWh 893 kWh £354 £89 £443 £6,983 15.8 yrs £1,884
4 kW 2978 kWh 1787 kWh 1191 kWh £472 £119 £591 £8,611 14.6 yrs £3,212
5 kW 3722 kWh 2233 kWh 1489 kWh £590 £149 £739 £10,239 13.9 yrs £4,540
6 kW 4467 kWh 2680 kWh 1787 kWh £708 £179 £887 £11,867 13.4 yrs £5,869
7 kW 5211 kWh 3127 kWh 2085 kWh £826 £208 £1,035 £13,494 13.0 yrs £7,197
8 kW 5956 kWh 3573 kWh 2382 kWh £944 £238 £1,182 £15,122 12.8 yrs £8,525

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: £800, Upfront: £11,639, Break-even: 14.5 yrs
System Annual output Self-use Exported Bill saving Export income Annual benefit Upfront cost Break-even 20-year net
2 kW 1489 kWh 1042 kWh 447 kWh £275 £45 £320 £6,756 21.1 yrs £-355
3 kW 2233 kWh 1563 kWh 670 kWh £413 £67 £480 £8,383 17.5 yrs £1,218
4 kW 2978 kWh 2085 kWh 893 kWh £551 £89 £640 £10,011 15.6 yrs £2,790
5 kW 3722 kWh 2606 kWh 1117 kWh £688 £112 £800 £11,639 14.5 yrs £4,363
6 kW 4467 kWh 3127 kWh 1340 kWh £826 £134 £960 £13,267 13.8 yrs £5,935
7 kW 5211 kWh 3648 kWh 1563 kWh £964 £156 £1,120 £14,894 13.3 yrs £7,508
8 kW 5956 kWh 4169 kWh 1787 kWh £1,101 £179 £1,280 £16,522 12.9 yrs £9,081

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: £818, Upfront: £13,389, Break-even: 16.4 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 £287 £40 £327 £8,506 26.0 yrs £-1,958
3 kW 2233 kWh 1630 kWh 603 kWh £431 £60 £491 £10,133 20.6 yrs £-312
4 kW 2978 kWh 2174 kWh 804 kWh £574 £80 £655 £11,761 18.0 yrs £1,334
5 kW 3722 kWh 2717 kWh 1005 kWh £718 £101 £818 £13,389 16.4 yrs £2,980
6 kW 4467 kWh 3261 kWh 1206 kWh £861 £121 £982 £15,017 15.3 yrs £4,625
7 kW 5211 kWh 3804 kWh 1407 kWh £1,005 £141 £1,146 £16,644 14.5 yrs £6,271
8 kW 5956 kWh 4348 kWh 1608 kWh £1,149 £161 £1,309 £18,272 14.0 yrs £7,917

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: £831, Upfront: £15,139, Break-even: 18.2 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 £295 £37 £332 £10,256 30.9 yrs £-3,610
3 kW 2233 kWh 1675 kWh 558 kWh £443 £56 £498 £11,883 23.8 yrs £-1,916
4 kW 2978 kWh 2233 kWh 744 kWh £590 £74 £665 £13,511 20.3 yrs £-221
5 kW 3722 kWh 2792 kWh 931 kWh £738 £93 £831 £15,139 18.2 yrs £1,474
6 kW 4467 kWh 3350 kWh 1117 kWh £885 £112 £997 £16,767 16.8 yrs £3,169
7 kW 5211 kWh 3908 kWh 1303 kWh £1,033 £130 £1,163 £18,394 15.8 yrs £4,864
8 kW 5956 kWh 4467 kWh 1489 kWh £1,180 £149 £1,329 £20,022 15.1 yrs £6,558

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: £843, Upfront: £17,589, Break-even: 20.9 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 £303 £34 £337 £12,706 37.7 yrs £-5,963
3 kW 2233 kWh 1720 kWh 514 kWh £454 £51 £506 £14,333 28.3 yrs £-4,219
4 kW 2978 kWh 2293 kWh 685 kWh £606 £68 £674 £15,961 23.7 yrs £-2,475
5 kW 3722 kWh 2866 kWh 856 kWh £757 £86 £843 £17,589 20.9 yrs £-731
6 kW 4467 kWh 3439 kWh 1027 kWh £909 £103 £1,011 £19,217 19.0 yrs £1,012
7 kW 5211 kWh 4013 kWh 1199 kWh £1,060 £120 £1,180 £20,844 17.7 yrs £2,756
8 kW 5956 kWh 4586 kWh 1370 kWh £1,212 £137 £1,349 £22,472 16.7 yrs £4,500

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 Shetland 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.

Compare solar quotes before you sign

Check what MCS certification means

Understand DNO, G98 and G99 export limits

New quote check

Want a quote sanity check for ZE1?

Share the first part of your postcode and a few basics. We’ll help you check whether system size, battery, export and paperwork assumptions look sensible before you commit to installer conversations.

This is a practical sanity-check request, not an instant quote promise. The Blue Ape quote route above remains available if you already want installer introductions.

Request a quote sanity check →

Insights for ZE1

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

Solar Payback Index Rank #2954 of 2996
14.8 years (UK avg 10.8 years)
~£493 /yr • £7,307 upfront
Standing-Charge Drag Rank #2951 of 2996
42.6% (UK avg 26.6%) drag on savings
£210 fixed • ~£493 /yr value
Aspect Penalty View ranking →
East −19.7% West −20.9%
Typical output loss versus a south-facing roof (lower is better)

Seasonal solar output in ZE1

Monthly generation per kilowatt of solar panels

kWh 11 Jan 27 Feb 62 Mar 95 Apr 118 May 110 Jun 104 Jul 93 Aug 65 Sep 38 Oct 16 Nov 7 Dec
Best month Worst month Winter (Dec–Feb) Other months

Winter output: 24.2% 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 15 kWh per month; the average month produces around 62 kWh. So a typical 4 kW home system would generate roughly 60 kWh in winter, or 248 kWh in an average month.

Your Area at a Glance

Your Electricity Rate
26.42p/kWh
Daily Fixed Charge
57.55p/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, 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

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