Blog & data studies
Honest solar economics: guides on the numbers behind a quote, and original datasets you can read, cite and reuse.
Data studies
All studies →The same engine behind our calculator, run across countries and cities. Free to reuse with attribution.
Dataset21 June 2026
Solar payback across European cities: the 2026 city-by-city dataset
The same 5 kWp system run through 26 European cities on real climate data. Ranked by payback, with the within-country yield spread.
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Dataset21 June 2026
Solar payback ranked: best and worst countries to go solar in 2026
The same 5 kWp system run through 24 countries on real climate data and verified tariffs. Ranked by return and payback.
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Dataset21 June 2026
How much does latitude matter? Solar yield from Oslo to Seville
The identical system across 24 cities from the Arctic to Andalusia. Yield climbs 2.29× as you head south — pure PVGIS, no FX.
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Dataset21 June 2026
EV charging on solar: how many panels it takes, country by country
The real kWh math for driving 12,000 km a year on sunshine, across 24 countries. From 5 panels in the sunniest to 10 in the cloudiest.
Explore →Guides
20 plain-English explainers on cost, payback, incentives and the hardware.
Incentives22 June 2026
How Solar Incentives Work: 5 Types Explained (2026)
Solar incentives come in five shapes, from per-kilowatt rebates to income-based grants. See how each works in 2026 with real examples and estimate your savings.
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Equipment21 June 2026
Best solar panel brands in 2026, compared
Compare solar panel brands by tier in 2026, efficiency, temperature coefficient, degradation, and warranty. Find out when premium pays back. Run your numbers free.
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Economics21 June 2026
Can you charge an electric car with solar? The real maths
Charge your electric car with solar panels: real kWh maths, PVGIS location data, and how many extra panels cover your annual driving. Calculate your roof free.
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Economics21 June 2026
Do solar panels increase home value?
Owned solar panels add 4–7% to home sale prices, backed by Zillow and Swansea/Birmingham research. See what moves the premium and estimate your own uplift free.
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Equipment21 June 2026
How do solar panels work?
Solar panels convert sunlight into electricity via silicon cells and an inverter. Learn how the photovoltaic effect works, what affects your output, and whether it suits your roof.
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Economics21 June 2026
How much do solar panels cost in 2026?
Solar panels cost €800–2,300/kWp installed in 2026, or $2.50–3.00/W in the US. See real costs by size, country, and what you pay after grants. Calculate your roof free.
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Economics21 June 2026
How to read a solar quote and spot overpricing
Learn to read a solar quote line by line: price-per-kWp benchmarks for UK, Europe and Australia, where padding hides, and how to check the payback claim.
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Equipment21 June 2026
How to size a solar system: how many kW (and panels) do you need?
Size your solar system in five minutes: divide your annual kWh by your local yield, count the panels, check your roof. Full worked example for UK and Europe.
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Economics21 June 2026
Is solar worth it in 2026?
Is solar worth it in 2026? For most UK homeowners: yes. See the real payback (9 yrs, ~9% IRR), verified costs, and what five variables actually decide it.
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Economics21 June 2026
Solar battery storage: when it pays, and when it does not
A solar battery earns the gap between your import and export rate. Learn when that gap justifies the cost, and when it does not, with real 2026 tariff data.
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Incentives21 June 2026
Solar incentives across Europe in 2026: country by country
VAT relief, export tariffs, net-metering rules and tax credits for 13 European countries in 2026. See every figure grounded in sourced data, then run your roof.
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Incentives21 June 2026
Solar incentives and subsidies in Germany in 2026
Germany's 2026 solar incentives explained: 0% VAT, 7.78 ct/kWh feed-in tariff, KfW 270 loan, and the real payback math. Know what each lever is worth before you buy.
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Incentives21 June 2026
Solar incentives in the Netherlands in 2026 (net metering ends 2027)
The salderingsregeling ends 1 Jan 2027. See every Dutch solar incentive in 2026, what replaces net metering, and how to size panels for the new regime.
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Equipment21 June 2026
Solar inverters explained: string, micro and hybrid
String, microinverter or hybrid? Learn which solar inverter suits your roof, what efficiency figures mean, and how warranties differ. Estimate your payback free.
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Equipment21 June 2026
Solar panel types explained: mono, bifacial and efficiency
Mono, bifacial, thin-film: what the efficiency and wattage numbers on your solar quote actually mean for your roof, bill and payback. Read before you buy.
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Economics21 June 2026
Solar payback period, NPV, and IRR: what the numbers really mean
Payback, NPV, and IRR explained for solar buyers: what each number means, a worked example (€8k system, NPV ~€10,100, IRR ~14%), and why one figure is never enough.
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Equipment21 June 2026
What is new in solar in 2026: trends and technology
TOPCon cells, rectangular wafers, falling module prices, hybrid inverters and VPPs, what changed in home solar in 2026 and what it means for your quote.
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Equipment21 June 2026
Where do solar panels come from? Brands, factories and the supply chain
Sand becomes silicon becomes electricity in four steps. Learn who makes solar panels, why China dominates, what Tier 1 really means, and how tariffs change your price.
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Product16 June 2026
Add a solar savings calculator to WordPress (no code)
Install the plugin, paste one shortcode, set your key. Your visitors get a payback estimate on any page.
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Product16 June 2026
Which solar APIs let you resell the data?
Google Solar, Solcast, and Solargis forbid redistribution. PVGIS and NREL allow it. Here is the licensing, side by side.
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