Are solar panels worth it in Finland?
Updated
In Finland solar panels yield 776–940 kWh/kWp a year per installed kilowatt-peak, depending on location (PVGIS 5.3 (EC JRC), 3 September 2026). What decides the economics, though, is self-consumption, which in a detached house is 50–80% of output (Motiva, 30 December 2025): a self-consumed kilowatt-hour saves 11–14 cents/kWh, an exported one only the market price of electricity.
Yield per kWp does not follow a north-south line
For a 40-degree tilt facing due south, PVGIS gives these annual yields per kilowatt-peak: Helsinki 940, Tampere 846, Jyväskylä 821, Oulu 870 and Rovaniemi 776 kWh (PVGIS 5.3 (EC JRC), 3 September 2026). It is not a clean north-south gradient: coastal Oulu out-yields inland Tampere and Jyväskylä, because cloud climatology matters more than latitude. Year-to-year variation is about five per cent, so a payback quoted to the month is false precision. Roof area needed is 5–9 m²/kWp (Motiva, 30 December 2025).
Self-consumption decides it, not annual yield
This is the single most sensitive input in solar payback: a self-consumed kilowatt-hour also avoids the transfer fee and the tax, an exported one does not. (Motiva, 30 December 2025) That makes a saved kilowatt-hour worth 11–14 cents/kWh (Tilastokeskus, 11 June 2026). Nobody publishes that figure: it is derived from the energy price, the energy part of the transfer fee, the electricity tax and VAT. Take your own price off your own bill — the all-inclusive figure from Statistics Finland overstates the saving by about a third, because it contains a standing charge that panels do not remove.
Orientation, tilt and the winter
Turning away from due south costs output: south-east or south-west instead of due south −7%, east or west −25%, vertical wall mounting −25% and flat, horizontal mounting −20% (Motiva, 30 December 2025). December to February produces only 6% of the year’s electricity (PVGIS 5.3 (EC JRC), 3 September 2026), and 90% of the annual yield falls between early March and the end of September (Motiva, 30 December 2025). Solar therefore does not offset heating in the months when heating is needed most.
What can honestly be said about payback
Price: 1,000–1,400 €/kWp turnkey — a vendor’s stated range (1komma5.com, 2026). 1,000–1,800 €/kWp turnkey, by equipment quality — a vendor’s stated range (grivolt.fi, 2026). No single national payback period can be quoted, because there is no current official transfer price and the annual yield varies by about five per cent from year to year. An honest calculation gives a range and states the assumptions behind it.
Household installations have collapsed
Detached houses took 30,000 solar systems in 2023 and about 6,500 in 2025 (Energiavirasto, 2026). Finland’s solar capacity is still growing strongly, but that growth is industrial-scale; among households the number has fallen to roughly a fifth of the peak. It does not mean panels stopped paying — it means the earlier buying wave was the exception.
Solar installers
97 installersAsk for the quote per kilowatt-peak, and ask whether roof work, the electrical installation, the grid notification and fall protection are inside it.
- 100 Sähkö Suomi OyKuopio · In the Tukes register
- 1KOMMA5° Suomi - TampereTampere · In the Tukes register
- AJ Energia OyJyväskylä · In the Tukes register
- Asennus ToivonenHyvinkää · In the Tukes register
- Aurinko Energia Systems OyHyvinkää · In the Tukes register
- Aurinkoenergiakeskus AUKEPorvoo · In the Tukes register
- Aurinkomaailma.fiOulu · In the Tukes register
- Aurinkopaneelit ja energiaratkaisut - Energio Finland OyTurku · In the Tukes register
- Aurinkopankki OyTampere · In the Tukes register
- Aurinkosähkö Laakko OyLohja · In the Tukes register
- Aurinkoteho OyTuusula · In the Tukes register
- Aurinkovarma OyNurmijärvi · In the Tukes register
Frequently asked questions
How much do solar panels produce in Finland?
+
776–940 kWh/kWp a year per installed kilowatt-peak: Helsinki 940, Tampere 846, Jyväskylä 821, Oulu 870 and Rovaniemi 776 kWh (PVGIS 5.3 (EC JRC), 3 September 2026).
How much of the output should be self-consumed?
+
In a detached house 50–80% of the output is self-consumed (Motiva, 30 December 2025). This is the single most sensitive input in solar payback: a self-consumed kilowatt-hour also avoids the transfer fee and the tax, an exported one does not.
Do panels produce anything in winter?
+
December to February is 6% of the annual yield (PVGIS 5.3 (EC JRC), 3 September 2026), and 90% of the output falls between March and September (Motiva, 30 December 2025).
What does a solar system cost?
+
1,000–1,400 €/kWp turnkey — a vendor’s stated range (1komma5.com, 2026). 1,000–1,800 €/kWp turnkey, by equipment quality — a vendor’s stated range (grivolt.fi, 2026).
Is solar growing in popularity among households?
+
Not among households. Detached-house installations fell from 30,000 systems in 2023 to about 6,500 in 2025 (Energiavirasto, 2026). Capacity is still growing, but at industrial scale.
Sources
- Aurinkosähkön tuotantokapasiteetti kasvoi yli neljänneksen vuonna 2025
Energiavirasto · 2026 · authority or research
- Aurinkosähköjärjestelmän sijoittaminen, tuotto, mitoittaminen ja kannattavuus
Motiva · 30 December 2025 · authority or research
- PVGIS PVcalc API, crystalline silicon, 1 kWp, 14 % loss, 40° tilt, due south
PVGIS 5.3 (EC JRC) · 3 September 2026 · authority or research
Queried 3 September 2026; the radiation database covers 2005–2023.
- StatFin 13rb — Sähkön hinta kuluttajatyypeittäin
Tilastokeskus · 11 June 2026 · computed from cited data
- Aurinkopaneelien hinta ja kustannukset
1komma5.com · 2026 · vendor
- Aurinkopaneelit hinta 2026 — kattava opas
grivolt.fi · 2026 · vendor
Figures verified 3 September 2026