On average, you could expect to pay is £4,500 - £5,500 for your 3kW solar panels. Naturally, the cost will vary depending on a number of factors, namely, the orientation of your roof, the roof capacity (how many panels you can install), the output of your 3kW solar panel system, and the solar panel installation costs.
A 3kW PV system will produce around 2,500 kWh of electricity per year. The solar panel system will consist of 20 × 150-watt panels (low efficiency), 15 × 200-watt solar panels (average efficiency), or 12 × 250-watt solar panels (latest technology). You may be asking yourself ' how many solar panels do I need for a 3 kW system?'.
Exactly how much a solar panel costs per kilowatt depends on the type of solar panel you're talking about. Monocrystalline solar panels are the most expensive, and their cost per kW is somewhere around £1,000 – £1,500 whereas polycrystalline solar panels cost about £900 per kW.
A 3kW solar panel system has a peak output rating of three kilowatts, which means it generates 3,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year in standard test conditions.
This means that you will save at least £440 per year on electricity bills with 3kW solar panels. In the long, at least 25-year lifetime of a solar panel, you are likely to profit at least £11,000 in addition to breaking even on your investment.
In some cases, a 5 kWp solar PV array will be sufficient to meet those energy demands. A 5 kWp solar system will typically require around 15 solar panels at 350W each and cost between £8,000 to £12,000. *The figures in this table are calculated based on 350W solar panels and the national average household energy consumption (2022).