Solar panels for farms in Crewe
Farm buildings around Crewe carry broad, shallow roofs that were put up for storage and stock, not for generation. 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.
835 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 418,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in CreweIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Farm building solar PV across Cheshire
What a farm roof near Crewe generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1069 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 835 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is about 6 percent below the mean across the areas we cover, so the case here rests on using the output on the holding rather than exporting it.
3 roof mounted schemes are on record nearby. Roof arrays under a megawatt frequently never reach that database at all, so the real number of farm roofs generating around Crewe is higher than the record shows.
We survey holdings across the CW postcode area, starting from CW2.
Cheshire East 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.
Crewe ranks 3 of 8 towns we cover in Cheshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 790 to 840, a spread of 50 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 25,000 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.
Solar already consented near CW2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunnybank Road - Solar Photovoltaics Panel | 3Ti Energy Hubs Limited | 0.37 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Bentley Motors Limited, Sunnybank Road - Solar Panels | 3Ti Energy Hubs Limited | 0.7 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Bentley Motors, Sunnybank Road - Solar Photovoltaics Panels | 3ti Energy Hubs Limited | 0.54 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through SP Energy Networks / Electricity North West
Connections around Crewe are handled by SP Energy Networks / Electricity North West, 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 Cheshire the planning database records 157 solar schemes totalling 582 MW, of which 13 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
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 Crewe
- How much does a farm roof near Crewe generate?
- The model gives 835 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 418,000 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 Crewe take the export?
- SP Energy Networks / Electricity North West is the distribution network operator for Cheshire. 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 Crewe?
- 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 Cheshire East before design sign-off.
- Has anyone near CW2 already done this?
- The planning database records 0 ground mounted and 3 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.