Solar panels for farms in Canterbury
The case for solar on a Canterbury holding turns on how much of the output the farm uses itself, not on how much the roof makes. 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.
961 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 481,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in CanterburyIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Farm building solar PV across Kent
What a farm roof near Canterbury generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1225 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 961 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is around 8 percent above the mean across the areas we cover, which is as strong as UK farm rooftop gets outside the south coast.
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 Canterbury is higher than the record shows.
We survey holdings across the CT postcode area, starting from CT1.
Canterbury 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.
Canterbury ranks 5 of 12 towns we cover in Kent on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 915 to 990, a spread of 75 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 37,500 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.
Grid connection through UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks operates the distribution network across Kent, 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 Kent the planning database records 237 solar schemes totalling 2072 MW, of which 45 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near CT1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morrisons, Ten Perch Road - Solar Pv Panels | WM Morrisons Supermarkets Plc | 0.42 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Parker Steel, Vauxhall Industrial Road - Solar Panels | Parker Tools | 1 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 Canterbury
- How much does a farm roof near Canterbury generate?
- The model gives 961 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 481,000 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 Canterbury take the export?
- UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for Kent. 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 Canterbury?
- 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 Canterbury before design sign-off.
- Has anyone near CT1 already done this?
- The planning database records 0 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.