Solar panels for farms in St Ives
A St Ives farm buys electricity at the worst rate of the day in exactly the hours its roof could be generating. Each survey records the sheet type and condition, the usable area once rooflights and vents come out, and whether the supply is single or three phase.
906 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 453,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in St IvesIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Farm building solar PV across Cambridgeshire
What a farm roof near St Ives generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1162 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 906 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That sits within a few percent of the mean across the areas we cover, so what decides the scheme is your own demand pattern rather than the latitude.
The planning record lists 4 ground mounted solar schemes in this postcode district, which is a fair guide to how the local network has treated field arrays. The typical consented scheme in this district is about 4.1 MW, with the largest at 6.8 MW. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.
1 roof mounted scheme is on record nearby. Roof arrays under a megawatt frequently never reach that database at all, so the real number of farm roofs generating around St Ives is higher than the record shows.
We survey holdings across the PE postcode area, starting from PE27.
Huntingdonshire is the planning authority for most holdings here, and it is the authority that decides whether an array on an agricultural building falls inside permitted development.
St Ives ranks 3 of 8 towns we cover in Cambridgeshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 898 to 908, a spread of 10 kWh per kWp. Within Cambridgeshire that difference is small enough to ignore: where the building sits is not what decides this scheme, your consumption pattern is.
Grid connection through UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks operates the distribution network across Cambridgeshire, so the export application goes to them. Anything larger than 3.68 kW per phase falls under G99, which means an application before commissioning rather than a notification afterwards. A constrained network is not the end of a scheme. Capping export costs little when the building already absorbs most of what the roof produces.
Across Cambridgeshire the planning database records 172 solar schemes totalling 2422 MW, of which 46 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near PE27
From the government's Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026. These are the schemes on record in this postcode district, which is a fair guide to how the local network has been treating export applications.
| Scheme | Operator | Capacity | Mounting | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wiggin Hill Solar Farm - Phase 2 | Lightsource Renewable Energy | 4.1 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Wiggin Hill Solar Farm - Phase 1 | Lightsource Renewable Energy | 6.8 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Meadow Lane Park and Ride | Cambridgeshire CC / Bouygues Energies | 0.9 MW | Ground | Under Construction |
| Needingworth Road - Solar Photovoltaic Array | WM Morrisons Supermarkets Plc | 0.37 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| One Leisure Indoor, Westwood Road - Solar Car Park Canopies | Huntingdonshire District Council | n/a | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
Send us the postcode
Tell us where the unit is and roughly how big the roof is. We come back with what it can carry, what it would generate against your consumption, and the three ways to pay for it.
Lenzie Consulting Ltd arranges the survey and passes your details to our MCS-certified installation partner so they can quote.
Questions about solar in St Ives
- Is there enough sun around St Ives to make this work?
- Modelled at 906 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 453,000 kWh a year before shading. That array needs about 1,485 sqm of clear roof once ridge vents and walkways are allowed for. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
- Who do we apply to for export near St Ives?
- Only UK Power Networks can answer it for your connection, and on rural feeders the answer varies farm to farm. An export-limited offer usually still works, because a holding with grain drying, cooling or ventilation uses most of what it makes.
- Do we need planning permission in Huntingdonshire?
- In most cases no, because panels on the roof of an agricultural building usually sit within permitted development. The exceptions are listed buildings, conservation areas, protected landscapes and arrays that stand proud of the roof. We check with Huntingdonshire either way.
- Has anyone near PE27 already done this?
- The planning database records 4 ground mounted and 1 roof mounted solar schemes in this postcode district. That matters less as proof it works and more as evidence of how the local network has treated export applications. Roof arrays under a megawatt often never appear in the database, so the real figure is higher. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.