Argyllshire
Solar panels in Oban, with the numbers shown.
Twelve panels (6.36 kWp) here make about 5,090 kWh a year for £6,360 installed, designed around your roof on a free 30-minute video call.
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Oban's solar year
PVGIS puts Oban at 800 kWh per kWp a year, 4% above our Argyllshire county estimate. 74% of it arrives between April and September, peaking in May.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 16.8 |
| February | 37.7 |
| March | 68.4 |
| April | 102 |
| May | 117 |
| June | 110 |
| July | 106 |
| August | 90 |
| September | 66.4 |
| October | 46.1 |
| November | 25.7 |
| December | 14.1 |
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: Oban makes 800 kWh per kWp a year, and the mean of our 85 county PVGIS estimates (our GB average) is 925, so Oban is 14% below it.
How Oban compares
Small towns rarely get published solar figures, so here are the numbers for Oban. It is one of 3 Argyllshire towns we track, and it ranks joint 2nd of 3 for solar yield, a town of 7,858 people in the House of Commons Library settlement data. PVGIS gives its roofs 800 kWh per kWp a year, 2.19 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons, and the standard 12 panel model turns that into £745 of year one benefit, £247 of it from your own generation and £498 from export at 12p.
These are starting numbers, not a quote. The calculator below opens on Oban's own PVGIS figure; change the panels, the battery or the export rate and it reruns. The design call replaces every assumption with your roof and your bills.
Argyll and Bute is the planning authority covering Oban, which the House of Commons Library classes 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 Oban (56.41198, -5.47255), 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 Oban
The distribution network operator (DNO) for Oban is Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), which runs the North Scotland licence area.
For a typical home the paperwork is light: a system of up to 3.68kW per phase goes through G98, which means SSEN is notified within 28 days of switch-on rather than asked beforehand.
Anything bigger is a G99 case and is applied for first. SSEN says it can take up to 45 working days to issue a quotation for a generation connection above 3.68kW per phase and up to 50kW.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); SSEN, micro-generation connections page, checked 25 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Adding a heat pump or an EV charger in Oban
A heat pump in Oban
A heat pump does most of its work from November to February. Over those four months, 12 panels in Oban make about 600 kWh, against 2,690 kWh from May to August, so winter heating runs mostly on grid electricity and the tariff matters more than the roof.
Scottish homes apply through Home Energy Scotland rather than the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: up to £7,500 in grant for a heat pump, up to £7,500 more as an optional interest-free loan, and a £1,500 uplift for rural and island homes (checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Oban
From April to September, 74% of a Oban roof's yearly output arrives, peaking at about 740 kWh in May 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).
What the named kit costs, installed
Every system is designed around your roof on the free call before anything is fitted.
Solar panel servicing and repair in Oban
Faults, servicing and ageing inverters follow the same economics in Oban as anywhere else, and the guides below price them plainly.
Common questions about solar in Oban
What does a solar panel system produce in Oban?
Each kWp of panels in Oban makes 800 kWh a year on PVGIS figures, so a typical 12-panel system produces around 5,090 kWh, from about 90 kWh in December up to 740 kWh in May.
How much are solar panels in Oban?
The price does not move by postcode. At £1,000 per kWp installed, 12 panels (6.36 kWp) come to £6,360 in Oban before a battery. What Oban changes is the return, about 5,090 kWh a year from that system, and your design call prices your actual roof.
Would a system in Oban need approval from the network operator?
Oban is on Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks' network (North Scotland licence area). Systems up to 3.68kW per phase of inverter output follow G98: SSEN is notified within 28 days of commissioning, with no approval needed first. Anything larger needs a G99 application before installation. SSEN says it can take up to 45 working days to issue a quotation for a generation connection above 3.68kW per phase and up to 50kW. Our G98 vs G99 guide explains both routes.
How much can I earn from exporting solar in Oban?
With typical use and no battery, a 12-panel system in Oban exports about 4,151 kWh a year. At 12p per kWh that is roughly £498; a supplier paying more, or a battery that keeps more for the evening, changes the figure. See the export rates table.
Is solar worth it in Oban in winter?
It works, but the year is lopsided. 74% of a Oban roof's output lands between April and September; the four months from November to February give about 600 kWh on a 12-panel system. Payback is worked out on the whole year, not the winter.
How Oban compares with its neighbours
The six closest towns we publish, run through the identical PVGIS query as Oban.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Oban |
|---|---|---|
| Oban | 800 | this town |
| Dùn Obhainn | 800 | level |
| Helensburgh | 834 | +34 kWh |
| Gourock | 820 | +20 kWh |
| Greenock | 820 | +20 kWh |
| Port Glasgow | 810 | +10 kWh |
| Bonhill and Renton | 846 | +46 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 Oban: Solar panels in Oban from OVO Solar & Battery
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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.