Solar panels for farms in Torquay
Around Torquay the constraint is rarely the roof. It is the incoming supply and what the network will accept back. 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.
937 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 469,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in TorquayIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Farm building solar PV across Devon
What a farm roof near Torquay generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1191 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 937 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 1 ground mounted solar scheme 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 3.2 MW. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.
We survey holdings across the TQ postcode area, starting from TQ2.
Torbay 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.
Torquay ranks 5 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.
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).
Solar already consented near TQ2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torbay Hospital, Nightingale Park - Solar Panel Array | TDA | 3.2 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 Torquay
- What would a 500 kWp array produce on a farm near Torquay?
- Yes, and the figure matters more than the sunshine. At 937 kWh per kWp a year, a 500 kWp array on a Torquay holding models at around 469,000 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 Torquay?
- 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 Torbay 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 Torbay before the design is finalised.