Glamorgan
Solar panels in Porthcawl, with the numbers shown.
Twelve panels (6.36 kWp) here make about 6,740 kWh a year for £6,360 installed, designed around your roof on a free 30-minute video call.
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What a roof in Porthcawl can generate
From 33.1 kWh per kWp in December to 135 in May: a roof in Porthcawl makes 4.1 times as much in its best month as in its darkest, and 1,059 kWh per kWp across the year.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 36.4 |
| February | 55.7 |
| March | 92.8 |
| April | 124 |
| May | 135 |
| June | 131 |
| July | 132 |
| August | 115 |
| September | 97.2 |
| October | 63.9 |
| November | 43.3 |
| December | 33.1 |
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 1,059, Porthcawl is 14% above it.
How Porthcawl compares
Small towns rarely get published solar figures, so here are the numbers for Porthcawl. It is one of 32 Glamorgan towns we track, and it ranks joint 3rd of 32 for solar yield, a town of 15,988 people in the House of Commons Library settlement data. PVGIS gives its roofs 1,059 kWh per kWp a year, 2.90 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons, and the standard 12 panel model turns that into £943 of year one benefit, £247 of it from your own generation and £696 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 Porthcawl's own yield.
Porthcawl sits within Bridgend, 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.
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.
Modelled for Porthcawl at 51.48515, -3.69661 on PVGIS data, with imports valued at 26.32p/kWh and solar at £1,000 per kWp installed. Sources and assumptions: help page.
Connecting solar to the Porthcawl network
Porthcawl sits in National Grid Electricity Distribution's South Wales licence area, so NGED 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 NGED within 28 days of commissioning, with no prior approval.
Anything bigger is a G99 case and is applied for first. NGED's guaranteed standards give 45 working days for a low voltage generation quotation, with £80 paid for each working day late.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); NGED, guaranteed standards of performance table, checked 25 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Beyond the panels: heating and car charging in Porthcawl
A heat pump in Porthcawl
Solar and a heat pump pull in opposite directions through the year: Porthcawl's roofs make 1,070 kWh from November to February on a 12-panel system, and 3,260 kWh from May to August. The heating season leans on the grid, so off-peak rates do the heavy lifting.
Grant support in Wales comes from the Boiler Upgrade Scheme: £7,500 for an air source or ground source heat pump, £2,500 for air-to-air, and an extra £1,500 until March 2027 where the home is heated by oil or LPG off the gas grid (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Porthcawl
From April to September, 69% of a Porthcawl roof's yearly output arrives, peaking at about 860 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.
If you rent, or own a flat, and have private off-street parking, the government chargepoint grant covers 75% of the cost, capped at £500 a socket, until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026). The calculator above prices a 7.4kW smart charger from £1,100 installed.
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 Porthcawl
Guidance is nationwide, so the benchmarks hold in Porthcawl: repair costs, service scope, and when the inverter is the real fault.
Solar in Porthcawl: your questions answered
What could a roof in Porthcawl generate?
PVGIS puts a roof in Porthcawl at 1,059 kWh per kWp a year, 2.90 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons. A 12-panel, 6.36 kWp system makes about 6,740 kWh a year, most of it between April and September.
What would 12 solar panels cost in Porthcawl?
£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 Porthcawl differs is output: about 6,740 kWh a year from that system.
Do I need permission from the DNO for solar in Porthcawl?
Usually not in advance. NGED, the network operator for Porthcawl, 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. NGED's guaranteed standards give 45 working days for a low voltage generation quotation, with £80 paid for each working day late. "See our DNO explainer.
How much would export pay on a system in Porthcawl?
It is exported. With typical use and no battery, about 5,799 kWh of the 6,740 kWh a 12-panel system makes in Porthcawl goes to the grid, around £696 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 Porthcawl?
Yes, at a lower level. PVGIS gives Porthcawl 33.1 kWh per kWp in December and 36.4 in January, so a 12-panel system makes about 210 kWh and 230 kWh in those months, against 860 kWh in May. Winter output mostly covers daytime use rather than exporting.
How Porthcawl compares with its neighbours
How the towns nearest Porthcawl compare on the same PVGIS settings, closest first.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Porthcawl |
|---|---|---|
| Porthcawl | 1,059 | this town |
| North Cornelly and Kenfig Hill | 1,059 | level |
| Bridgend | 1,057 | −2 kWh |
| Sarn, Tondu and Bryncethin | 1,058 | −1 kWh |
| Port Talbot | 1,026 | −33 kWh |
| Pencoed | 1,051 | −8 kWh |
| Maesteg | 954 | −105 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 Porthcawl: Solar panels in Porthcawl from OVO Solar & Battery
Also near Porthcawl
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.
Reading for Porthcawl homeowners
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
East, west or south facing: what your roof direction really costs you
An east west split gives up about a fifth of the annual total, and can still be worth more than south.
Read the guide →What a battery gateway actually does
Without a gateway your system shuts down when the grid does. Here is what the box actually does.
Read the guide →Three phase and EV charging: what actually changes
Three phase buys 22kW charging. Most cars cannot use it, and load balancing usually solves the real problem.
Read the guide →How an air source heat pump actually works
It moves heat rather than making it. The cycle, the efficiency numbers and the trade-offs.
Read the guide →Which tariffs are actually built for battery charging
A battery buys cheap and uses dear. The tariff decides how much that is worth.
Read the guide →G98 or G99: which one applies, what the application involves, and how long it takes
The G98 line sits at 3.68kW per phase. Above it, your network operator has to say yes first.
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.