Solar panels for farms in St Albans
Around St Albans 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.
901 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 451,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in St AlbansIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Farm building solar PV across Hertfordshire
What a farm roof near St Albans generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1154 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 901 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That sits within a few percent of the mean across the areas we cover, so what decides the scheme is your own demand pattern rather than the latitude.
6 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 St Albans is higher than the record shows.
We survey holdings across the AL postcode area, starting from AL1.
St Albans 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 Albans ranks 3 of 10 towns we cover in Hertfordshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 895 to 911, a spread of 16 kWh per kWp. Within Hertfordshire that difference is small enough to ignore: where the building sits is not what decides this scheme, your consumption pattern is.
Grid connection through UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks operates the distribution network across Hertfordshire, 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 Hertfordshire the planning database records 119 solar schemes totalling 844 MW, of which 12 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near AL1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Ryder Academy - Solar panels | Scholars Education Trust | 0.2 MW | Roof | Application Withdrawn |
| Westminster Lodge Leisure Centre - Solar Panels | St Albans City & District Council | 0.18 MW | Roof | Application Submitted |
| The Maltings Shopping Centre - Solar Array | St Albans (Maltings 4) Limited | 0.33 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| St Albans Retail Park, Griffiths Way - Solar Panels | Natwest Trustee & Depository Services Limited | 0.79 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Verulam School, Brampton Road - Solar Panels | Earthpoints Limited | 0.16 MW | Roof | Revised |
| Verulam School - Solar Panels | Earthpoints Limited | 0.17 MW | Roof | 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 St Albans
- How much does a farm roof near St Albans generate?
- The model gives 901 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 451,000 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 St Albans take the export?
- UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for Hertfordshire. 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 St Albans?
- 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 St Albans before design sign-off.
- Has anyone near AL1 already done this?
- The planning database records 0 ground mounted and 6 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.