A clearer route to solar in Wales

Solar advice written for Welsh homes

Solar Cymru is an independent guide to solar panels in Wales. We explain the Welsh rules on planning, funding, yield and the grid, because most UK advice mixes them up with the rules for England. We are not an installer, a lender or a government service. Instead, we help you ask better questions before you pay for anything.

If you are new to the topic, start with our Wales solar panel guide. It walks through the roof, the design, the permissions and the paperwork in a sensible order. Homes in a conservation area or a World Heritage Site face extra limits, and in a national park it is worth asking the park authority first, so read our guide to planning permission in Wales next.

What does solar cost, and does it pay?

Price is the first thing most people ask about. Our post on what solar panels cost in Wales sets out typical price ranges and what pushes them up or down. However, the price tells only half the story. The rest depends on how much power your roof makes and how much of it you use at home.

Welsh weather worries a lot of buyers, yet panels still work under cloud. Read how solar panels cope with Welsh weather to see why daylight matters more than sunshine. For example, a south-facing roof on the coast and a shaded roof in a deep valley will give quite different results. That is why a proper site survey beats any national average.

A home battery can raise the share of solar power you use yourself. Still, it adds cost, so it does not suit all homes. Our post on whether a solar battery is worth it walks through the sums with Welsh homes in mind.

Find an installer you can trust

When you feel ready, compare quotes on the same terms. Our page on solar panel installation in Wales explains what a good quote should include. You can also read about solar battery storage quotes or commercial solar for farms and firms. In each case, ask for MCS certification and a written design before you sign.

Our quote service is free and opt-in. You send a short form, and the operator looks for MCS-certified installers near your postcode. Nothing reaches an installer until you ask, while the readiness check below never leaves your browser.

Local facts for 22 Welsh towns

We also cover 22 towns across Wales, from Holyhead in the north to Barry in the south. Each town page lists the local planning authority, the network operator and, where we have one, a yield figure from the EU's PVGIS tool. As a result, you can see the local facts before you speak to anyone.

Keep reading

New posts appear on the Solar Cymru blog as we finish them. Each one cites its sources, so you can check the facts for yourself. For questions about export, our guide to the grid and solar export in Wales covers the network rules and the Smart Export Guarantee.

The guides on this site are free to read. Quote requests run through MoreLeadz, the lead system behind our form, and only with your consent. Our editorial policy sets out how we keep advice apart from referrals, while our about page explains what we do and do not do.