UK Solar Power
County Rankings 2018

Aberdeenshire ranks 53rd for solar capacity installed, with more solar installed than any other Scottish county. Domestic installations account for more than half of Aberdeenshire's installed capacity. Aberdeenshire's 43,174kW of solar is impressive given its northerly location. (Figures include Aberdeen).

Its East coast location means Angus receives surprisingly high amounts of solar energy (roughly in the middle for UK counties). Angus ranks just below Aberdeenshire for solar capacity despite more sun and better potential earnings. While domestic installations lag behind its larger, northern neighbour, Angus actually has more commercial capacity (29,000kW).

Argyll and Bute is the 2nd largest council area in Scotland. Inland, solar irradiation is low even by UK standards but some coastal areas offer considerably more potential and better returns.

Situated in western Scotland, Ayrshire receives less sun than most of the UK with slightly higher irradiation near the coast. With just over 19MW of solar capacity, Ayrshire ranks 60th overall but 6th of the Scottish counties.

Bedfordshire comes 37th of 78 counties with 100MW of solar capacity installed. 80% of that capacity is commercial with domestic installations in the county lagging somewhat behind other areas in the UK.

With a total installed solar capacity of 73MW, Berkshire comes 46th of 78 counties in the rankings. Perhaps a little bit dissapointing given that the county receives more sunshine than most.

Bristol has just shy of 82MW installed solar capacity, giving it a ranking of 42nd. This mid table ranking is probably a reflection on the size of the county and its urban makeup. Bristol is well placed for sunshine in UK terms and certainly has the potential for more domestic installations.

Buckinghamshire lies 24th in the UK Solar Power County Rankings with 145MW of installed capacity. Commercial capacity is much stronger in the county than domestic, with domestic installs somewhat behind the potential.

Cambridgeshire ranks 11th for total installed capacity with 326MW installed. It ranks even higher (8th) for domestic capacity and is second only to Cornwall for domestic installs per 10,000 households.

Cheshire has 79MW of installed solar capacity and ranks 44th in the Solar Power County Rankings. That's 9th from bottom of the English counties and probably roughly in line with what might be expected given Cheshire's north westerly situation.

With roughly 2.6MW of solar installed, Clackmannanshire ranks 75th for both total capacity and domestic capacity. That's just 4th from last but is partially to do with the small size of the county. Clackmannanshire is 54th for domestic installs per 10,000 households, which seems roughly inline with the county's solar potential.

With a total installed solar capacity of roughly 136MW, Clwyd ranks 27th among UK counties and 2nd in Wales. Clwyd ranks as high as 15th among UK counties for domestic penetration (domestic installs per 10,000 households).

As one of the sunniest counties in Britain, it is no surprise that Cornwall is near the top of the Solar Power Rankings. In fact, when number of households is taken into account, Cornwall ranks first for both domestic and commercial solar penetration.

Cumbria has nearly 87MW of installed solar capacity, placing the county in 41st. That's pretty good for one of the most northerly counties in England.

Derbyshire ranks 21st for total installed capacity and ranks similarly highly for domestic (19th).

Devon ranks third overall in the UK Solar Power Rankings but is in first place for domestic capacity and number of installs.

Dorset ranks 10th overall with commercial installations a strong component. Dorset might be expected to be higher up the rankings and with some of the best predicted generation and earnings in the UK it is perhaps surprising that more homeowners have not taken up the opportunity of FiT.

Dumfries & Galloway ranks 64th with 13.8MW of installed solar capacity. 2,688 domestic installations and 10MW of domestic solar capacity mean that Dumfries & Galloway ranks 23rd for domestic installs per 10k households.

Dunbartonshire has 5,804kW of installed solar capacity, placing the county in 73rd. As with much of Scotland, domestic installations and domestic capacity make up the vast bulk of solar activity in the county.

With 88MW of installed solar capacity, Durham ranks 40th in the Solar Power County Rankings and 28th for domestic solar capacity. Domestic installations account for 43% of Durham's total capacity.

Dyfed ranks first among the Welsh counties and 13th overall with 296MW of installed capacity.

East Lothian ranks 71st and has 7MW of installed solar capacity. Penetration of domestic solar is much better and the county ranks 42nd for domestic installations per 10k households.

East Sussex has 106MW of installed solar capacity. Given the southern coastal county has some of the best solar irradiation numbers of anywhere in the UK, East Sussex might be expected to be higher than 33rd.

East Yorkshire ranks 43rd among UK counties and 10th from bottom in England. Despite its northerly latitude, East Yorkshire receives pretty decent energy from the sun, especially towards the coast. Solar may offer more potential than residents are aware of.

Capital city of Scotland and the 7th most populous in the UK. Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative, among others are working hard to bring Edinburgh's solar use up closer to its potential.

Essex lies in 14th place for total installed capacity. It ranks as high as 6th for number of domestic installations and 7th for the amount of domestic solar capacity installed.

Fife receives solar energy levels somewhere in line with the West Midlands or Central Wales. With 28.9 MW of solar installed, Fife ranks 55th among UK counties.

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and one of the largest in the UK. Its rank of 65th is broadly in line with the amount of sun received. Like most of the larger cities, penetration of rooftop solar is somewhat dissapointing given the sheer number of households.

Gloucestershire has just over 248MW of installed solar capacity, making it the 16th county in our ranking.

London ranks 32nd for solar capacity and 12th for domestic capacity. The capital's position in the South East means high solar generating potential. With so many buildings, the penetration of domestic solar in the county (77th) is dissapointing but should be seen in the context of difficulties with shading and access.

Greater Manchester comes 30th in the Solar Power Rankings with 124MW of solar capacity. Given its population it is perhaps not surprising that Greater Manchester has the 2nd highest domestic installs with 29,395.

With 135MW of installed solar capacity, Gwent ranks 28th among UK counties and 3rd in Wales. Less than 1MW shy of Clwyd.

Gwynedd ranks 50th for installed solar capacity and 60th for domestic capacity. When population is taken into account, things look brighter. The county ranks 18th for domestic installs per 10k households and 15th for total capacity per 10k households.

With nearly 410MW of installed solar capacity, Hampshire is certainly a solar success story. The county ranks 5th in the Solar Power Rankings. Commercial installations account for around 80% of capacity but roughly 79MW of domestic capacity is the 6th highest of any county in the UK, so Hampshire is an all rounder.

Herefordshire ranks 51st and its 52MW of installed capacity is among the lowest of the English counties. This overall capacity masks a success story, however, and Herefordshire ranks 11th for domestic installs per 10,000 households and 18th for total solar capacity per 10,000 households.

Hertfordshire ranks 18th in the UK Solar Power County Rankings, a position roughly in line with its location and solar potential. Hertfordshire has 218MW of installed solar capacity. With only 30MW of domestic capacity despite a sizeable population, commercial installations account for 86% of the county's solar capacity.

As one of the most Northern areas of the UK, it is not surprising that potential solar energy is lower for sites here than in the vast majority of the rest of the country. In fact, Highland's position as the 61st ranked county from 78 is a surprisingly strong performance.

The Isle of Wight ranks 45th among UK counties with an installed solar capacity just under 75MW. This ranking hides a per capita success story, however, and the Isle of Wight ranks 4th for solar capacity per 10k households. The domestic penetration of solar PV is also pretty good, with the county ranking 14th.

Kent ranks 8th with an installed solar capacity of 361MW. This is pretty much inline with where the county stands for solar irradiation and income potential.

Lanarkshire ranks 59th overall and 50th for domestic solar capacity. Given its location, this is probably above where you might expect to find the county based on sunshine.

Lancashire has an installed capacity of 151MW, placing it in 23rd in the Solar Power County Rankings. Its ranking for domestic installs (19th) is even higher and both are impressive given the county's location in the North West of England.

Leicestershire rounds out the top 20 with 195MW of installed solar capacity.

Lincolnshire has nearly 378MW of installed solar capacity, 7th highest of any county in the UK. Perhaps even more impressive, Lincolnshire ranks 2nd among UK counties for domestic capacity.

Merseyside ranks 52nd for installed solar capacity but much higher at 29th for domestic capacity. Merseyside's overwhelmingly urban land use probably means less potential for large scale solar and this is reflected in the nearly 37MW of domestic solar installed, accounting for 76% of the county's total.

Mid Glamorgan has just shy of 94MW of installed solar capacity and ranks 39th among UK counties.

Midlothian ranks 74th from 78 counties in the UK Solar Power County Rankings. The county has just over 4MW of installed solar capacity and very nearly 3MW of that is domestic.

Moray ranks 67th and has an installed solar capacity of 9MW. The highlight is domestic penetration, where Moray ranks 19th with 401 domestic installs per 10k households.

Na h-Eileanan Siar ranks 77th out of 78 in the UK Solar Power County Rankings. Only Shetland keeps Na h-Eileanan Siar off the bottom spot presumably largely due to access issues combined with location and population size.

Norfolk's 6th place in the Solar Power Rankings is impressive. Its 386MW of installed capacity places Norfolk ahead of southern neighbours Suffolk, Essex and even Kent.

North Yorkshire has 143MW of solar power installed, placing it in 25th. It ranks 5th for domestic capacity. Both of these are strong performances given that the county is far from the sunshine levels of the south coast.

Northamptonshire's location in central England means decent sunshine but it's not among the top counties. So Northamptonshire's 243 MW of solar capacity (17th highest in the UK) is a strong performance. Some 84% of that capacity is non-domestic.

Northumberland ranks 56th with only 28MW of installed solar capacity. Of the English counties, only Rutland has less. Northumberland does however rank in 9th for domestic installations per 10,000 households. That's a surprisingly strong performance for the northernmost county in England.

Nottinghamshire ranks 9th for installed capacity and just outside the top 10 for domestic capacity and number of installs. This is a strong all around performance for a county that should rank somewhere in the middle, based on sunshine and potential energy.

Not surprisingly, Orkney ranks 3rd from bottom on total installed capacity. What is perhaps a pleasant surprise and certainly a success story, Orkney ranks 33rd for domestic penetration (domestic installs / 10k households).

15th place is a very creditable position for Oxfordshire. With 265MW of solar capacity installed, Oxfordshire is outperforming what might be expected based on both its size and solar potential. The county ranks 10th on total capacity per 10,000 households.

Perth and Kinross is the 5th largest of the Scottish council areas. It ranks 57th in the Solar Power County Rankings and but a creditable 5th in Scotland. Due to its large area and relatively low population density, its penetration of domestic solar is pretty strong.

Powys is the lowest ranked of the Welsh counties at 58th. The county ranks much better when figures are equalised for number of households. The county's 612 domestic installs per 10,000 households is the 3rd highest of any county in the rankings.

With 9,417kW of installed solar capacity, Renfrewshire ranks 66th. The county is also 66th for number of installations, domestic capacity and number of domestic installations.

Rutland ranks bottom among the English counties for total installed capacity but that measure is perhaps a little unfair on such a small county. Rutland's solar story is far from being all bad news. The county ranks as high as 6th for domestic penetration (domestic installs per 10k households), which better reflects its potential in terms of solar energy.

Scottish Borders ranks 63rd with just under 15MW of installed solar capacity. With 577 domestic solar installs per 10,000 households, however, Scottish Borders ranks an impressive 5th for domestic penetration.

As the northern most part of the UK, Shetland is not a solar powerhouse. Contributing factors include its population, isolated location and limited energy from the sun. Nonetheless, some 49 enterprising homeowners have installed 177kW of solar panels.

Shropshire has an installed solar capacity of roughly 212MW and is ranked 19th among UK counties.

Somerset is the 7th largest of the English counties but has the 4th most installed solar power. It is a popular location for commercial investments with 49 large scale commercial developments contributing 233MW.

South Glamorgan ranks 38th with 97MW of installed solar capacity. Over 83% of capacity is non-domestic and domestic penetration is comparatively low, given that solar irradiation for the county is pretty good by UK standards.

South Yorkshire ranks 34th with a total capacity of nearly 106MW. It does, however, rank 8th for domestic installs.

Staffordshire ranks 29th with 133MW of installed solar capacity. Nearly 53MW (38%) of that capacity is domestic.

With 16MW of installed capacity, Stirling ranks 62nd in the UK Solar Power County Rankings. Its ranking largely reflects the lower solar energy levels as we move North but, as with many of the Scottish counties, the penetration of domestic solar is impressive.

With 321MW of installed solar capacity, Suffolk is the 12th ranked county in the UK. This is closely in line with where it stands in terms of the energy it receives from the sun. When adjusted for population Suffolk does even better, ranking 8th for domestic installs per 10,000 housholds and 7th for total capacity per 10,000 households.

Surrey ranks a dissapointing 49th in the Solar Power County Rankings with just less than 68MW of installed solar capacity. Surrey ranks higher for domestic installations (30th) but has less commercial solar installed than surrounding Southern counties.

With only 68MW of installed capacity, Tyne and Wear ranks 48th and is in the bottom 10 counties in England. This is perhaps not surprising, when considering the county's Northern location, small area and high population density. In fact, over 74% of Tyne and Wear's installed capacity is domestic and the county ranks 15th for domestic installs.

Warwickshire ranks 26th with 141MW of installed capacity. The county ranks much lower (44th) for domestic capacity. It's the 116MW of commercial capacity that make up the success story here. Perhaps the commercial developers know something the homeowners of Warwickshire are missing out on?

West Glamorgan has 73MW of installed solar capacity, placing the county in 47th place. Capacity per 10,000 households is probably a fairer measure for a smaller county and West Glamorgan ranks 31st for this. Still some way behind its top 10 placing for solar potential.

West Lothian ranks 70th for installed solar capacity with 7,933kW, the vast bulk of which (6,123kW) is domestic.

With 103MW of installed solar capacity, the West Midlands ranks 35th among UK counties. It ranks as high as 17th for domestic capacity, perhaps a reflection of the highly populous and urban nature of the county.

West Sussex ranks 22nd with just short of 178MW of installed solar power. Given its location, high sunshine hours and potential earnings, there is definitely room for much stronger take up of solar within the county.

West Yorkshire has just under 118MW of installed capacity and is ranked 31st overall. Its big success is in domestic installations where it ranks 4th for number of installs and for installed capacity.

Wiltshire tops the ranking of solar counties with a total installed capacity of 614MW. Its success is due to large volumes of non-domestic capacity and Wiltshire has more large-scale commercial solar than any other county.

Worcestershire ranks 36th of 78 counties with just shy of 103MW of installed capacity.