Cambridgeshire
Solar panels in Cambridge, with the numbers shown.
About 6,600 kWh a year from 12 panels in Cambridge, £6,360 installed, with your system designed on a free 30-minute video call.
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Cambridge's solar year
Cambridge's best month is July, at 124.7 kWh per kWp; December manages 37.9. Over the year that comes to 1,037 kWh per kWp, level with our Cambridgeshire county estimate.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 39.5 |
| February | 55 |
| March | 89.5 |
| April | 116 |
| May | 124 |
| June | 123 |
| July | 125 |
| August | 112 |
| September | 97.7 |
| October | 68.6 |
| November | 48.9 |
| December | 37.9 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
Our GB average is 925 kWh per kWp a year, the mean of the 85 county PVGIS estimates we publish; at 1,037, Cambridge is 12% above it.
How Cambridge compares
Cambridge is one of 11 Cambridgeshire towns we track, and it ranks joint 2nd of 11 for solar yield. The House of Commons Library settlement data classes it as a large town of 157,697 people. At 1,037 kWh per kWp a year, a typical 12 panel system here pays for itself in around 6.9 years on the 12p scenario: £926 of year one benefit against £6,360 installed, £247 of that benefit from cutting 26.32p imports with your own generation.
Every figure here assumes a clear, south-facing roof at 35 degrees. Yours will differ, which is what the free design call is for; until then, the calculator below tests panels, batteries and export rates on Cambridge's own yield.
Planning applications in Cambridge go to its own council, and the House of Commons Library classes it as a large town.
The charger is in the installed price but left out of payback: charging savings depend on your mileage and tariff, which the design call models properly.
Your real roof and usage, worked through on a free 30-minute video call. Use the full form or leave three details below.
Price this for your roof
Three details. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute design call, on video or by phone if you prefer.
The figures use PVGIS for the centre of Cambridge (52.20342, 0.13808), a 26.32p/kWh import price and £1,000 per kWp installed; see the help page for the full method.
Who runs the grid in Cambridge
Cambridge sits in UK Power Networks' East England licence area, so UK Power Networks is the network operator (DNO) any solar panels or battery here are registered with.
Below 3.68kW per phase of inverter and battery output, the G98 route applies: the installation is notified to UK Power Networks within 28 days of commissioning, with no prior approval.
A bigger inverter or battery output needs a G99 application in advance. Ofgem's guaranteed standard for a low voltage generation connection quotation is 45 working days, with £80 paid for each working day late, and it binds UK Power Networks as it does every network operator.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); Ofgem, Distributed Generation Standards Direction guidance, checked 27 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Beyond the panels: heating and car charging in Cambridge
A heat pump in Cambridge
A heat pump does most of its work from November to February. Over those four months, 12 panels in Cambridge make about 1,150 kWh, against 3,080 kWh from May to August, so winter heating runs mostly on grid electricity and the tariff matters more than the roof.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, open in England and Wales, takes £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump, or £2,500 off an air-to-air unit. Homes on oil or LPG with no mains gas get £1,500 more until March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Cambridge
From April to September, 67% of a Cambridge roof's yearly output arrives, peaking at about 790 kWh in July on 12 panels. A car parked at home in daylight can soak up what the house, at around 70 kWh of daytime use that month, cannot.
The calculator above includes a 7.4kW smart charger from £1,100 installed. Renters and flat owners with off-street parking can claim 75% of a chargepoint's cost, up to £500 per socket, until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
The packages, priced before anyone visits
Every system is designed around your roof on the free call before anything is fitted.
Solar panel servicing and repair in Cambridge
Faults, servicing and ageing inverters follow the same economics in Cambridge as anywhere else, and the guides below price them plainly.
Solar in Cambridge: your questions answered
What does a solar panel system produce in Cambridge?
Each kWp of panels in Cambridge makes 1,037 kWh a year on PVGIS figures, so a typical 12-panel system produces around 6,600 kWh, from about 240 kWh in December up to 790 kWh in July.
What would 12 solar panels cost in Cambridge?
£6,360 for 12 panels (6.36 kWp), the same as in every other place we cover, because solar is priced at £1,000 per kWp installed rather than by area. A battery adds its own installed price on top. Where Cambridge differs is output: about 6,600 kWh a year from that system.
Would a system in Cambridge need approval from the network operator?
Cambridge is on UK Power Networks' network (East England licence area). Systems up to 3.68kW per phase of inverter output follow G98: UK Power Networks is notified within 28 days of commissioning, with no approval needed first. Anything larger needs a G99 application before installation. Ofgem's guaranteed standard for a low voltage generation connection quotation is 45 working days, with £80 paid for each working day late, and it binds UK Power Networks as it does every network operator. Our G98 vs G99 guide explains both routes.
How much would export pay on a system in Cambridge?
It is exported. With typical use and no battery, about 5,659 kWh of the 6,600 kWh a 12-panel system makes in Cambridge goes to the grid, around £679 a year at 12p. A battery keeps more of it for the evening; the export rates table shows what suppliers pay.
Is solar worth it in Cambridge in winter?
It works, but the year is lopsided. 67% of a Cambridge roof's output lands between April and September; the four months from November to February give about 1,150 kWh on a 12-panel system. Payback is worked out on the whole year, not the winter.
How Cambridge compares with its neighbours
The six closest towns we publish, run through the identical PVGIS query as Cambridge.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Cambridge |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge | 1,037 | this town |
| Histon and Impington | 1,037 | level |
| Cambourne | 1,036 | −1 kWh |
| Newmarket | 1,032 | −5 kWh |
| Soham | 1,037 | level |
| Royston (North Hertfordshire) | 1,037 | level |
| St Ives | 1,038 | +1 kWh |
PVGIS v5.2 for each town centroid, identical assumptions throughout. A few kWh either way is weather-year noise; a spread beyond about 30 kWh per kWp is real geography.
Also for Cambridge: Solar panels in Cambridge from OVO Solar & Battery
Also near Cambridge
See a number before you speak to anyone
Answer a few questions about your roof and usage and see an instant solar and battery estimate. No email needed to see the result.
Guides worth reading before your call
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
Solar installation day: exactly what happens, hour by hour
The week before, the day itself hour by hour, and the paperwork that follows.
Read the guide →Inside a home battery: capacity, power and losses
Usable capacity, kW output, round trip losses and chemistry, in plain terms.
Read the guide →What an EV charger installation actually involves
Main fuse, DNO notification, load balancing and the paperwork. What really happens.
Read the guide →Sizing a heat pump: what a proper survey covers
Sized by calculation, not by rule of thumb. What the survey covers, and what guessing costs.
Read the guide →The price cap explained, and what it does to solar payback
The cap limits unit rates, not bills. That changes what solar payback means.
Read the guide →HIES explained: what the badge actually protects, and when
What HIES protects: deposits up to 25 percent capped at 5,000 pounds, and your workmanship guarantee.
Read the guide →Get my free quote
Takes about two minutes. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute video design call at a time that suits you. We design it around your roof and your numbers, and our MCS-certified, fully insured installation teams install it.