Solar panels for farms in St Austell
Most holdings around St Austell already own the best generating site they will ever have, and it is the roof of the shed they built for something else. 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.
936 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 468,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in St AustellIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Farm building solar PV across Cornwall
What a farm roof near St Austell generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1193 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 936 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is around 6 percent above the mean across the areas we cover, which is as strong as UK farm rooftop gets outside the south coast.
The planning record lists 2 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 9 MW, with the largest at 17.51 MW. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.
We survey holdings across the PL postcode area, starting from PL25.
Cornwall 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 Austell ranks 5 of 8 towns we cover in Cornwall on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 921 to 979, a spread of 58 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 29,000 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.
Solar already consented near PL25
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menear Road - Solar & Battery storage | Anesco Limited | 17.51 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Par Market, Par Moor Road - Solar Array | Par Market | 0.5 MW | Ground | Application Withdrawn |
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
National Grid Electricity Distribution operates the distribution network across Cornwall, 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 Cornwall the planning database records 174 solar schemes totalling 1116 MW, of which 88 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 St Austell
- What would a 500 kWp array produce on a farm near St Austell?
- Yes, and the figure matters more than the sunshine. At 936 kWh per kWp a year, a 500 kWp array on a St Austell holding models at around 468,000 kWh. What changes the answer is how much of that the farm uses itself. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
- Which network operator handles the connection around St Austell?
- Applications go to National Grid Electricity Distribution, who run the network across Cornwall. On a farm the incoming supply matters as much as their answer: a single phase supply caps what can be installed whatever the roof would take.
- What does Cornwall require for solar on an agricultural building?
- Roof-mounted panels on an agricultural building often fall under permitted development, subject to limits on projection above the roof plane and to the building not being listed or in a conservation area or National Park. We confirm the position with Cornwall before the design is finalised.
- Has anyone near PL25 already done this?
- The planning database records 2 ground mounted and 0 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.