Solar panels for farms in Loughborough
Around Loughborough the constraint is rarely the roof. It is the incoming supply and what the network will accept back. 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.
868 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 434,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in LoughboroughIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Agricultural rooftop solar across Leicestershire
What a farm roof near Loughborough generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1107 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 868 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.
The planning record lists 4 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 6.4 MW, with the largest at 34 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 Loughborough is higher than the record shows.
Most of the buildings we look at here sit in the LE postcode area.
Charnwood 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.
Loughborough ranks 6 of 7 towns we cover in Leicestershire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 863 to 891, a spread of 28 kWh per kWp. Within Leicestershire that difference is small enough to ignore: where the building sits is not what decides this scheme, your consumption pattern is.
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
National Grid Electricity Distribution operates the distribution network across Leicestershire, 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 Leicestershire the planning database records 165 solar schemes totalling 1259 MW, of which 37 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near LE11
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land at Mill Farm | TGC Renewables | 7.1 MW | Ground | Planning Permission Expired |
| Moor Lane | TGC Renewables | 5.8 MW | Ground | Application Withdrawn |
| Nottingham Road - Solar Farm | NextPower SPV 9 Limited | 34 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Kindeva Drug Delivery Limited, Derby Road - Solar Panels | Custom Solar Limited | 0.88 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| The Loughborough Schools Foundation Sports Hall - Solar Pv Arrays | Loughborough Endowed Schools | 0.19 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Atic Building, Loughborough Science Park - Solar Panels | Loughborough University | 0.21 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 Loughborough
- How much does a farm roof near Loughborough generate?
- The model gives 868 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 434,000 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 Loughborough take the export?
- National Grid Electricity Distribution is the distribution network operator for Leicestershire. 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 Loughborough?
- 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 Charnwood before design sign-off.
- Has anyone near LE11 already done this?
- The planning database records 4 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.