Solar panels for farms in St Neots
Most holdings around St Neots already own the best generating site they will ever have, and it is the roof of the shed they built for something else. What decides a farm scheme here is the state of the roof sheets and the incoming supply, which is why the survey looks at both before anyone sizes an array.
898 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 449,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in St NeotsIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Agricultural rooftop solar across Cambridgeshire
What a farm roof near St Neots generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1150 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 898 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 5 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 35 MW, with the largest at 49.9 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 Neots is higher than the record shows.
Most of the buildings we look at here sit in the PE postcode area.
Bedford 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 Neots ranks 8 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
Connections around St Neots are handled by UK Power Networks, which sets the export limit for the site. Above 3.68 kW per phase the connection runs under G99, so the export limit is agreed in advance rather than assumed. Where the local network is constrained, an export-limited connection usually still makes the scheme work, because a farm uses most of what the roof makes during the working day.
Across Cambridgeshire the planning database records 172 solar schemes totalling 2422 MW, of which 46 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near PE19
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairview Farm | Bird Brothers | 0.2 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Vicarage Lane, Diddington - Solar Arrays | Cell Energy Limited | 35 MW | Ground | Application Submitted |
| Chester Road, Colmworth Business Park - Solar Panles | Lattice Labels Limited | 0.24 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Abbotsley Country Homes, Drewels Lane - Solar Farm | Low Carbon Limited | 49.9 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Weald Farm, Cambridge Road - Solar Farm & Battery Storage | Ashfield District Council / Voltalia UK | 49.9 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Bassmead Manor Farm, Staploe - Solar Panels | P Squire Limited | 0.19 MW | 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 Neots
- How much does a farm roof near St Neots generate?
- The model gives 898 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 449,000 kWh a year before shading losses. A building of roughly 1,485 sqm of clear roof carries it. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
- Will the rural network around St Neots take the export?
- UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for Cambridgeshire. Anything above 3.68 kW per phase connects under G99, and the application sets the export limit. Rural supplies are often the binding constraint, so we ask the question before an array is sized.
- Is planning permission needed for panels on a farm building near St Neots?
- Usually permitted development covers a roof array. Ground mounted arrays are a different question and are far more likely to need a full application. We put both to Bedford before design sign-off.
- Has anyone near PE19 already done this?
- The planning database records 5 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.