Urban vs rural solar panel performance.

How are urban and rural populations adopting solar?

In the UK, solar panel adoption is currently higher in rural areas. According to research from CPRE, the Countryside Charity, rural constituencies generate more solar power than urban areas - 48 of the top 50 parliamentary constituencies for solar power generation are in rural areas. The research also finds that rural areas have much higher domestic capacity for solar power generation than urban areas.

This data is supported by figures from the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), showing that rural areas, particularly in the South of England, have the highest rates of small-scale renewable installations, including solar panels.

The Rural Services Network notes that despite this encouraging performance, both rural and urban areas remain huge, relatively untapped sources of renewable solar energy.

On average, homeowners in rural areas use more electricity than urban homes. There are several possible reasons why this might be the case. The most likely explanation could be that rural homes are larger than urban homes, and therefore require more electricity to power things like energy-hungry appliances.

Properties in rural areas tend to be older and more likely to be detached than urban properties. Both of these factors increase the likelihood that rural properties will be less energy efficient than urban properties and harder to keep warm. This could result in rural homeowners resorting to electric heaters during colder months.

Larger electricity bills, and potentially more suitable properties for installing solar panels, could be a couple of reasons why rural homeowners are currently outpacing urban homeowners in solar panel adoption. It’s also possible that a greater percentage of rural populations live in properties they own rather than rent, making solar panels more of a possibility. Data from London, the UK’s largest city, supports this idea, with only 49% owning their home compared to a national average of 68%.

It’s clear that solar has great untapped potential in the UK, but is there anything that homeowners in rural and urban areas should consider before installing solar panels? Here we’ll investigate a few factors that could crop up, but as ever, if you’re considering solar panels, it’s best to consult with an expert to see how an installation could benefit you. Our installation pros are on hand to answer your questions.

What are the pros and cons of urban solar panel installations?

Advantages:

Proximity to existing grid infrastructure.

If you’re installing solar panels in an urban location, then chances are that you’ll be closer to existing grid infrastructure. This can make connecting your solar setup to the grid easier than the same setup located in a rural area. This improves the chance that the DNO will allow your solar panels to be connected to the grid with no restrictions.

Reducing strain on grid infrastructure.

By enabling people to become more self-sufficient, solar installations can also help more people reduce their reliance on the electricity grid. This can reduce strain on the electricity grid, and even support it, especially if peak usage times coincide with times when the weather supports high levels of solar electricity production.

Disadvantages:

More limited space for solar panels.

Space for solar panel installations is much more limited in urban areas. In general, urban properties have smaller roof sizes than rural properties, meaning less room to install solar panels. This reduces the potential for people living in urban properties to generate as much solar energy as those living in rural areas.

The urban heat island effect.

During hot weather, urban areas can become so-called ‘heat islands’. This happens because urban areas have more buildings, roads, and other surfaces that absorb and hold heat. These surfaces then release the stored heat slowly, especially at night. This keeps cities warmer than rural areas, which have more features like forests, lakes and rivers to absorb heat and cool the air.

Solar panel system output is reduced when the temperature of the panels rises. This means that solar panels in urban areas could be slightly less productive than the same panels located in a marginally cooler rural area. However, this is likely to be a tiny effect in practice.

What are the pros and cons of rural solar panel installations?

Advantages:

Bigger roofs and space for solar panels.

Broadly speaking, rural property owners are more likely to have a good amount of roof space on which to install solar panels than town and city dwellers in smaller properties. In practice, and all other things being equal, this could make solar panels a more viable option if you live in a rural area.

No heat island effect.

Rural areas don’t suffer from the same heat trapping effect that urban areas can be afflicted by during hot weather. As outlined above, this means that rural solar panel setups could be slightly more productive than equivalent urban solar panels during hotter weather. However, as previously mentioned, the difference in solar panel performance is likely to be minor.

Challenges:

Distance from existing grid infrastructure.

In rural locations, grid infrastructure coverage is possibly weaker than in urban areas. The upshot of this is that even though it might be possible to install much bigger solar systems in rural areas, it might be more likely that any such installations could have total capacity or export restrictions placed on them.

This could happen during the G99 grid application process to the District Network Operator (DNO). If you’re considering a large solar installation in a rural area, then it may be worth discussing with your energy supplier or getting in touch with the DNO as part of your research before committing to a solar setup.

Check your solar situation.

In practice, whether you live in a rural or an urban area, it’s best to consult a solar installation expert to work out whether solar panels could be a good choice for you. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of location are probably unlikely to be deal breakers for the viability of solar panels for your house. Other factors are likely to play a bigger role, and for most people, moving house to accommodate solar panels is unrealistic.

If you’d like to take a step towards sustainability and explore whether solar panels could save you money on your bills, get in touch with us for a quote. One of our experts will ask you questions to see whether they’d be a good choice for you.