Is there enough sun around Sleaford to make this work?

Modelled at 898 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 449,000 kWh a year before shading. That array needs about 1,485 sqm of clear roof once ridge vents and walkways are allowed for. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.

Who do we apply to for export near Sleaford?

Only National Grid Electricity Distribution can answer it for your connection, and on rural feeders the answer varies farm to farm. An export-limited offer usually still works, because a holding with grain drying, cooling or ventilation uses most of what it makes.

Do we need planning permission in North Kesteven?

In most cases no, because panels on the roof of an agricultural building usually sit within permitted development. The exceptions are listed buildings, conservation areas, protected landscapes and arrays that stand proud of the roof. We check with North Kesteven either way.

Has anyone near NG34 already done this?

The planning database records 6 ground mounted and 0 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.

Solar panels for farms in Sleaford

The case for solar on a Sleaford holding turns on how much of the output the farm uses itself, not on how much the roof makes. The survey starts on the covering: fibre cement or steel, its remaining life, the purlin spacing and what the frame will carry.

898 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 449,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.

Book a roof survey in Sleaford

Drawing Sleaford unit

Roof 96 x 62 m

Array 500 kWp

Yield 449,000 kWh/yr

Scale 1:500 / Rev A / NG34

Illustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.

Sleaford / Lincolnshire

Midlands arable farmland with solar on farm building roofs — Industrial stock of the kind we survey across East Midlands.

Solar for agricultural buildings across Lincolnshire

What a farm roof near Sleaford generates

Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1145 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 898 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 6 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 38.5 MW, with the largest at 400 MW. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.

Surveys run across NG postcodes, NG34 outward.

North Kesteven 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.

FIG. 1 What a Sleaford roof makes, month by month

Jul produces 6.2 times what Dec does on the same roof. A 500 kWp array here models at about 449,000 kWh across the year, but it arrives unevenly, which is why we size against your summer daytime load and then look at whether storage is worth adding for the shoulder months.

Monthly figures as a table

Month	kWh per kWp	500 kWp array
Jan	24	12,000
Feb	38	19,000
Mar	74	37,000
Apr	104	52,000
May	123	61,500
Jun	121	60,500
Jul	124	62,000
Aug	107	53,500
Sep	83	41,500
Oct	51	25,500
Nov	30	15,000
Dec	20	10,000

Source: EU PVGIS v5.2

FIG. 2 Sleaford against the rest of Lincolnshire

Boston906
Spalding902
Sleaford898
Stamford896
Skegness894
Grantham886
Lincoln882
Gainsborough861

Sleaford ranks 3 of 8 towns we cover in Lincolnshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 861 to 906, a spread of 45 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 22,500 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.

Bars are zero based, so length is proportional to the figure. Where a county is flat, that is the finding: location is not the lever, consumption is. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, modelled per town

Solar already consented near NG34

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
White Cross Lane	Nextpower SPV 5 Limited	25 MW	Ground	Under Construction
Gorse Lane	Elgin Energy Esco	20 MW	Ground	Under Construction
Little Hale Fen - Solar Farm	AGR Solar 2 Limited	49.99 MW	Ground	Awaiting Construction
Washdyke Farm, Billingborough Road - Solar farm	GS Ignis Limited	27 MW	Ground	Awaiting Construction
Beacon Fen Energy Park	Low Carbon Limited	400 MW	Ground	Application Submitted
Mareham Lane, Solar PV Panels	Lighthouse Development Consulting	49.99 MW	Ground	Awaiting Construction

Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution

Connections around Sleaford are handled by National Grid Electricity Distribution, which sets the export limit for the site. Above 3.68 kW per phase the connection runs under G99, so the export limit is agreed in advance rather than assumed. Where the local network is constrained, an export-limited connection usually still makes the scheme work, because a farm uses most of what the roof makes during the working day.

Across Lincolnshire the planning database records 226 solar schemes totalling 7052 MW, of which 37 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).

Book the survey

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 Sleaford

Is there enough sun around Sleaford to make this work?: Modelled at 898 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 449,000 kWh a year before shading. That array needs about 1,485 sqm of clear roof once ridge vents and walkways are allowed for. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Who do we apply to for export near Sleaford?: Only National Grid Electricity Distribution can answer it for your connection, and on rural feeders the answer varies farm to farm. An export-limited offer usually still works, because a holding with grain drying, cooling or ventilation uses most of what it makes.
Do we need planning permission in North Kesteven?: In most cases no, because panels on the roof of an agricultural building usually sit within permitted development. The exceptions are listed buildings, conservation areas, protected landscapes and arrays that stand proud of the roof. We check with North Kesteven either way.
Has anyone near NG34 already done this?: The planning database records 6 ground mounted and 0 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.

Nearby

All Lincolnshire locations