Cambridgeshire
Solar panels in Ely, sized to your roof.
Twelve panels (6.36 kWp) here make about 6,540 kWh a year for £6,360 installed, designed around your roof on a free 30-minute video call.
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- Free 30-minute video design call
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- Installed by our MCS-certified, fully insured teams
What a roof in Ely can generate
Ely's best month is July, at 124.9 kWh per kWp; December manages 38.2. Over the year that comes to 1,029 kWh per kWp, 1% below our Cambridgeshire county estimate.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 39.4 |
| February | 54.5 |
| March | 89.3 |
| April | 115 |
| May | 123 |
| June | 121 |
| July | 125 |
| August | 112 |
| September | 96.5 |
| October | 67.5 |
| November | 48.6 |
| December | 38.2 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
Against Great Britain as a whole: Ely makes 1,029 kWh per kWp a year, and the mean of our 85 county PVGIS estimates (our GB average) is 925, so Ely is 11% above it.
How Ely compares
Small towns rarely get published solar figures, so here are the numbers for Ely. It is one of 11 Cambridgeshire towns we track, and it ranks joint 10th of 11 for solar yield, a town of 19,949 people in the House of Commons Library settlement data. PVGIS gives its roofs 1,029 kWh per kWp a year, 2.82 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons, and the standard 12 panel model turns that into £920 of year one benefit, £247 of it from your own generation and £673 from export at 12p.
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 Ely's own yield.
Ely sits within East Cambridgeshire, its local planning authority, and the House of Commons Library classes it as a small 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.
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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 Ely (52.40218, 0.26287), a 26.32p/kWh import price and £1,000 per kWp installed; see the help page for the full method.
Connecting solar to the Ely network
Ely 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.
Anything bigger is a G99 case and is applied for first. 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 Ely
A heat pump in Ely
Solar and a heat pump pull in opposite directions through the year: Ely's roofs make 1,150 kWh from November to February on a 12-panel system, and 3,060 kWh from May to August. The heating season leans on the grid, so off-peak rates do the heavy lifting.
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 Ely
A 12-panel roof in Ely makes about 790 kWh in July. A typical home uses around 70 kWh of that in daylight (the calculator's typical-use settings), which leaves most of the month's output for an EV or for export.
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).
Installed prices, the same in every town
Every system is designed around your roof on the free call before anything is fitted.
Solar panel servicing and repair in Ely
Guidance is nationwide, so the benchmarks hold in Ely: repair costs, service scope, and when the inverter is the real fault.
Common questions about solar in Ely
What could a roof in Ely generate?
PVGIS puts a roof in Ely at 1,029 kWh per kWp a year, 2.82 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons. A 12-panel, 6.36 kWp system makes about 6,540 kWh a year, most of it between April and September.
What would 12 solar panels cost in Ely?
£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 Ely differs is output: about 6,540 kWh a year from that system.
Do I need permission from the DNO for solar in Ely?
Usually not in advance. UK Power Networks, the network operator for Ely, only needs a G98 notification within 28 days of commissioning for systems up to 3.68kW per phase. Bigger inverter or battery outputs need G99 approval first. 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. "See our DNO explainer.
How much would export pay on a system in Ely?
It is exported. With typical use and no battery, about 5,608 kWh of the 6,540 kWh a 12-panel system makes in Ely goes to the grid, around £673 a year at 12p. A battery keeps more of it for the evening; the export rates table shows what suppliers pay.
Do solar panels work in winter in Ely?
Yes, at a lower level. PVGIS gives Ely 38.2 kWh per kWp in December and 39.4 in January, so a 12-panel system makes about 240 kWh and 250 kWh in those months, against 790 kWh in July. Winter output mostly covers daytime use rather than exporting.
How Ely compares with its neighbours
Same satellite dataset, same assumptions, so the differences are real geography rather than modelling noise.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Ely |
|---|---|---|
| Ely | 1,029 | this town |
| Littleport | 1,029 | level |
| Soham | 1,037 | +8 kWh |
| Chatteris | 1,033 | +4 kWh |
| Mildenhall | 1,033 | +4 kWh |
| Newmarket | 1,032 | +3 kWh |
| Histon and Impington | 1,037 | +8 kWh |
Each row is a PVGIS v5.2 run at that town's centre with the same settings. Treat gaps of a few kWh as noise and gaps over about 30 kWh per kWp as real differences in sunshine.
Also for Ely: Solar panels in Ely from OVO Solar & Battery
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Further reading for Ely
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
Best solar panels UK 2026: what the datasheets actually say
One pick per job, the specs behind each, and what moves payback more than the badge.
Read the guide →Tesla Powerwall 3 vs Duracell Dura16: which fits your home?
The two packages we actually price, compared on the numbers that decide it.
Read the guide →Smart charge point regulations, explained
Why your charger arrives pre-set to charge overnight, and why it waits before it starts.
Read the guide →The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, explained
A fixed amount, claimed on your behalf by our installation teams, with a real deadline on the £9,000 version.
Read the guide →What the Smart Export Guarantee actually is
The scheme obliges suppliers to pay above zero, and leaves the rate to them.
Read the guide →How to check an MCS certificate is genuine, before the deposit leaves your account
A logo proves nothing. Certification is business specific, technology specific and checkable.
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.