Aberdeen comes last in the solar energy stakes after scientists found it has the least sunshine.
It is Britain’s oil and gas capital but Aberdeen comes last in the solar energy stakes after scientists found it has the least sunshine and some of the lowest average temperatures in Britain.
Researchers told the Sunday Times newspaper that with an average temperature of 9.2C, it is one of the coldest cities in the UK.
This is linked to the fogs that roll in from the North Sea, plus clouds sweeping down from the Cairngorms.
The survey — designed to find the best places to site solar farms — found that Plymouth was the sunniest and warmest place.
Mahmoud Dhimish, the Huddersfield University academic who led the study, said Aberdeen’s placing was a shock. “Looking at existing weather models, we expected Aberdeen to have the most sunlight in Scotland, not the least,” he said, suggesting local fogs were a likely cause.
The data gathered included the yearly “global horizontal irradiance” at 27 sites, in kilowatt-hours per square metre. Plymouth, the sunniest and warmest city at 12.2C, received 103, but Aberdeen only 77. London, second highest, scored 97.
Plymouth’s southerly position means its first place is not such a surprise but placings in the top five for Liverpool (96) and Whitehaven in Cumbria, (94) may raise eyebrows, given their northerly locations. Exeter’s score (95) was less of a puzzle: the Met Office moved there in 2003 after asking its scientists to find the city with the nicest climate.
George Goudsmit, the managing director of AES Solar, which sells solar panels around Aberdeen, said his job was easier than many might imagine.
“It’s called the Granite City for a reason,” he said. “The weather here is miserable. However, there’s still enough light for solar because of longer days in summer.”
Plymouth is already a hot-spot for solar energy. Mark Pankhurst, engineering manager at Carlton Power, said the area’s climate was behind the company’s decision to open a 21,000-panel solar farm near the city.
Charlie Shaw, of PFK, an estate agency in Whitehaven, said the town had never been noted for sunshine – and did not want to be.
“This is a historic harbour town with lots of listed buildings. It wouldn’t go down well at all if someone tried to set up a solar farm here,” he said.
