Solar panels for farms in Newton Abbot
A Newton Abbot farm buys electricity at the worst rate of the day in exactly the hours its roof could be generating. 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.
943 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 472,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in Newton AbbotIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Agricultural rooftop solar across Devon
What a farm roof near Newton Abbot generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1200 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 943 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 16.5 MW, with the largest at 21 MW. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.
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 Newton Abbot is higher than the record shows.
Most of the buildings we look at here sit in the TQ postcode area.
Teignbridge 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.
Newton Abbot ranks 3 of 8 towns we cover in Devon on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 903 to 961, 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 TQ12
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rydon Farm | MTS Rydon Solar | 12 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Court Barton Farm, Coffinswell - Solar Farm | Coubar Energy Limited (Windel) | 21 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Brooke House, Sabre Close - Solar Panels | Wilton Bradley Limited | 0.28 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| East Golds Works, Kingsteignton Road - Solar Panels | Sibelco UK East Golds Works | 1.06 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Sibelco UK Preston Manor Works, Kingsteignton - Solar Panels | Sibelco UK Preston Manor Works | 0.79 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
National Grid Electricity Distribution operates the distribution network across Devon, 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 Devon the planning database records 248 solar schemes totalling 1451 MW, of which 90 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 Newton Abbot
- What would a 500 kWp array produce on a farm near Newton Abbot?
- Yes, and the figure matters more than the sunshine. At 943 kWh per kWp a year, a 500 kWp array on a Newton Abbot holding models at around 472,000 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 Newton Abbot?
- Applications go to National Grid Electricity Distribution, who run the network across Devon. 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 Teignbridge 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 Teignbridge before the design is finalised.
- Has anyone near TQ12 already done this?
- The planning database records 2 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.