Solar panels for farms in Wigan
The case for solar on a Wigan holding turns on how much of the output the farm uses itself, not on how much the roof makes. 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.
828 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 414,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in WiganIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Agricultural rooftop solar across Greater Manchester
What a farm roof near Wigan generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1058 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 828 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is about 7 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.
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 5 MW. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.
2 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 Wigan is higher than the record shows.
Most of the buildings we look at here sit in the WN postcode area.
Wigan 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.
Wigan ranks 1 of 10 towns we cover in Greater Manchester on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 769 to 828, a spread of 59 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 29,500 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.
Solar already consented near WN6
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thompson House Equestrian farm | Emotion Solar One | 5 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Bradley Hall Trading Estate, Bradley Lane - Solar Panels | Industrials Propco 1 | 0.42 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Wrightington Hospital, Hall Lane - Solar Panels | Dalkia Facilities | 0.15 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through Electricity North West
Electricity North West is the network operator here, and their answer on export capacity shapes the design. Any commercial array above 3.68 kW per phase connects under G99 rather than G98, and the application fixes what you are allowed to push back onto the network. If the local network is tight, limiting export rarely breaks the case here: most of the generation is consumed on site while the building is working.
Across Greater Manchester the planning database records 118 solar schemes totalling 110 MW, of which 11 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 Wigan
- What would a 500 kWp array produce on a farm near Wigan?
- Yes, and the figure matters more than the sunshine. At 828 kWh per kWp a year, a 500 kWp array on a Wigan holding models at around 414,000 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 Wigan?
- Applications go to Electricity North West, who run the network across Greater Manchester. 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 Wigan 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 Wigan before the design is finalised.
- Has anyone near WN6 already done this?
- The planning database records 1 ground mounted and 2 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.