Solar ... In the news

Martyn1981

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82071180#Comment_82071180

That's funny. I always assumed it was the greater cooling that the UK gets, from being an island, that explains why our PV capacity factor is typically similar to, but perhaps a tad better than Germany's at any given latitude. But of course, even that won't save the day for folk in the far north/Shetlands.

QrizB

It might just be my screen (or my eyes 😄) but I think the UK looks more blue-y, and Germany more green-y:

Sure there are bits of the UK (in the south and east) which are greener than the northern German states, but on average it looks to get more solar radiation?

I could definitely be wrong!

JKenH

Regional variations, even within England are quite marked. According to this map if you live near the coast in SE England you could potentially generate 25% more with your panels than someone living in Manchester.

JKenH

Here is the map including all of Europe but please note that the colours are not the same solar PV potential as in the UK map.

NedS

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82071758#Comment_82071758

That's really interesting, seeing red areas around the coastal regions, presumably from the cooling effects of coastal breeze?

I'm located in the 2.7-2.8 kWh/kWp (O's) per day region which matches my actual generation.

jeffuk

Shetlands = two or more of a small variety/breed of horse.

Shetland or The Shetland Isles = is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.

Shetland - Wikipedia

Martyn1981

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82071671#Comment_82071671

Yep, the map certainly shows (IMO) that Germany gets a bit more solar radiation than the UK.

But my comments referred to actual generation, and the UK being similar to Germany:

"but I see Germany (with similar PV generation characteristics to the UK) is doing really well."

This is something I 'researched' (pun intended) when discussing the now infamous claim made by Fox news hosts, when knocking PV potential, that PV is fine for Germany (where so much was being rolled out) 'as it gets more sun than the US'. In news and forum discussions we chatted about this, and noted that UK and German PV generation is roughly comparable. [Edit this was ~2013.] But sadly, no where near as good as the US (excluding Alaska) where generation is as good as, or much better than the UK.

[Ironically - I've learned now to even caveat that statement, as otherwise someone will always point out that the northwestern side of Washington State (eg around Seattle) is 'as bad as the UK'.]

If you pop some random pins in the map of Germany, you will see that annual generation is similar to the UK. Or at least to where most of the UK population resides. Googling UK v's German PV capacity factors the info suggests we benefit from the additional cooling. A comment I found led to a Wiki page about UK PV that handily has a mention of Germany.

Temperature Efficiency: The UK benefits from cooler temperatures and breezier weather. Because solar panels operate more efficiently in the cold, this balances out the differences in total sunlight hours, slightly boosting UK operational efficiency compared to hotter continental climates.

Solar power in the United Kingdom

The UK's annual insolation is in the range of 750–1,100 kilowatt-hours per square metre (kWh/m2). London receives 0.52 and 4.74 kWh/m2 per day in December and July, respectively.[9] While the sunniest parts of the UK receive much less solar radiation than the sunniest parts of Europe, the country's insolation in the south is comparable with that of central European countries, including Germany, which generates about 10.7% of its electricity from solar power.[10] Additionally, the UK's higher wind speeds cool PV modules, leading to higher efficiencies than could be expected at these levels of insolation.[11] Capacity factors of solar PV reached values between 9.8% and 11.4% in the UK in the 2013-2022 period.[12]

So I think, what Germany has shown, with their PV generation reaching a third of demand for May/June, is that even in some of the less ideal PV generation sites, it is still a great resource - due primarily to PV panels/generation now being so cheap.

ed110220

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82071802#Comment_82071802

I'd have thought it has more to do with cloud cover, with some areas near the coast being sunnier as cloud forms inland over higher ground. Especially as the redder coastal areas are localised - if it was mainly cooling I'd expect to see a more even band around the coast. It's interesting that there's a pocket of the second best band as far north as Anglesey and locally on a bit of the west facing Somerset coast.