PV Guide

How to read the opportunity map and get the most from PVPossible.

▶ Watch the 2‑minute how‑to

A quick walkthrough of searching, reading the map, and generating a branded report.

Reading the map

Every result from a search is plotted as a coloured dot. The colour is the site's Solar Score — an at‑a‑glance rating of how attractive the opportunity is.

Red — Solar Score 70–100· Strong. Priority "hot lead" — quick payback and good scale.

Amber — 50–69· Viable. Worth a closer look.

Blue — under 50· Marginal. Depends on site specifics.

Dot size shows capacity — a bigger dot means more solar (kWp) at that site. So a large red dot is a big, high‑scoring opportunity: chase those first. Each dot has a white outline so it stands out against parks, fields and built‑up areas.

Click any dot or list item to zoom in and show that building's (or car park's) outline, with a popup of the key figures.

What the Solar Score is based on

The score blends the two things a prospector cares about:

Payback speed (~70%) — how fast it pays for itself. A ~3‑year payback scores near the top; ~8 years is mid‑range; ~12+ years pulls it down.
Scale / capacity (~30%) — bigger systems score a little higher, as they're worth more to pursue.

The Solar Score is an indicative economic ranking to prioritise outreach — not a technical rating. It doesn't assess roof condition, shading, structure or grid capacity; those come at the site‑visit and design stage.

What each result shows

kWp	Estimated solar system size (kilowatts‑peak)
£ project	Indicative installation cost, using your rate assumptions
£/yr saving	Estimated annual electricity saving
Payback	Years for the saving to cover the cost
Category	Site type (retail, industrial, NHS, education, car park, etc.)
DNO	Local grid operator — always check their capacity map before committing

All figures are desktop estimates from public mapping data — a screening tool to find and rank opportunities, not a survey or quotation. Confirm on site.

Getting the most from it

Assumptions (⚙) — change rates, electricity price, roof/car‑park factors and the min/max size filters; every figure and score updates.
Branding (🏢) — upload your header and footer logos once, and every Feasibility Study prints ready to send.
Sort & filter — order by capacity, value, payback or nearest, and type in the filter box to narrow the list.
Smaller radius = faster & sharper. Use a wide radius to show the whole opportunity; a tighter one for a focused shortlist.
CSV — export the full list any time.