GHI in 2017 in Europe compared to an average year

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The above map shows the deviation in Global Horizontal Irradiation in 2017 compared to the long-term average (1994-2016). The map has been generated using GHI data from Solargis database, which provides a historic archive of solar radiation data from Jan 1994 to present time, at a spatial resolution of 250m x 250m.

As there is a linear correlation between GHI and PV electricity yield, the PV power plants in South and Central Europe should have generated roughly 4-6% more electricity in 2017 vs the long-term average. The energy yield for PV power plants located in the Balkans and in the Apennine Mountains should have been even higher - by as much as 6% to 14% higher than the long-term average.

Lower than average solar resource in UK

The energy yield for PV power plants across most of the UK was lower than average. An exception was South-East England, parts of which received slightly higher than average solar radiation. South-West England had the highest solar radiation deficit, with some locations seeing solar radiation deficit of approx 5%.

An accurate estimate of % gain/loss in expected PV yield in 2017 vs long-term average can be accessed for specific locations via Solargis pvSpot online application: https://solargis.com/products/pvspot/overview/