Newport shines in the UK's sunniest locations list

Elizabeth Birt
·3-min read
Newport has been named in the top 10 sunniest cities in the UK <i>(Image: Newport City Council)</i>
Newport has been named in the top 10 sunniest cities in the UK (Image: Newport City Council)

Newport has been named as one of the sunniest places in the UK.

Despite June being a wetter month than previously anticipated, the expectation of sunnier times are high.

The summer solstice, which ushers in the beginning of summer, will take place on Thursday, June 20.

In line with this, new data reveals Newport secures 2,064 hours of sunlight annually, the ninth highest in the UK.

The research is courtesy of energy experts at Utility Bidder, who designed the Solar Sunlight Index.

This tool looks at numerous factors, including UK cities and global nations prepared for solar power based on average sunlight hours and temperatures, areas with the most significant potential for photovoltaic power output (PPO), regions and countries with the highest solar-related Google searches, and recommended actions for conversion to solar power.

The UK regions basking in the most sunlight annually, in order of rank, are Southend-on-Sea, Kingston upon Hull, Birkenhead, Liverpool, Plymouth, Swansea, Sunderland, London, Newport, and Nottingham.

Southend-on-Sea takes the top spot for the sunniest area in the UK with an average annual sunlight hour of 2,336.

The region also leads in terms of photovoltaic power output (PPO) with a level of 1,075.3 kWh/kWp, and average temperatures at 11.2C.

For Newport, it came in joint fifth with Birkenhead for readiness for solar power, with a score of 7.42 out of 10.

Newport was also found to have an average temperature of 10.3 degrees celsius, 1,015.6kWh/kWp photovoltaic power output, 866.3kWh/m2 in direct normal irradiation, 130 searches on Google for installing solar panels between April 2023 and March 2024, a search reach of 203,000 leading to a 64.04 number of searches per 100,000 people.

Contrastingly, the Scottish city of Glasgow has the lowest average sunshine duration at 1,767 hours annually.

Glasgow's photovoltaic power output (PPO) level is lowest compared to other regions listed, registering 885.6 kWh/kWp.

Internationally, Los Angeles, California gets the badge of the solar power capital of the world with a solar power score of 9.08/10, as Dubai trails behind securing second place with a score of 8.83/10.

James Longley, managing director at Utility Bidder, advised on how to switch over to solar power saying: "Homeowners across the UK are being urged to take steps towards creating a more environmentally-friendly home, with the installation of solar panels being one of them.

"As of February this year, over 1 million UK homes had solar installations which shows that Brits are concerned about the environment, as well as saving money on energy bills.

"It’s important to carry out research to understand the benefits of solar power and also to give you enough time to contact a number of experts who are qualified in fitting solar installations.

"Secondly, you want to make sure that your home is compatible with solar panels before you make any big decisions."

He also highlighted the steps to gaining a building permit from councils, and the optimal time to install solar panels, particularly in preparation for summer.

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