Solar panels for farms in Shrewsbury
A Shrewsbury farm buys electricity at the worst rate of the day in exactly the hours its roof could be generating. 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.
852 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 426,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in ShrewsburyIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Agricultural rooftop solar across Shropshire
What a farm roof near Shrewsbury generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1091 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 852 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is about 4 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 20 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 Shrewsbury is higher than the record shows.
Most of the buildings we look at here sit in the SY postcode area.
Shropshire 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.
Shrewsbury ranks 4 of 5 towns we cover in Shropshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 842 to 860, a spread of 18 kWh per kWp. Within Shropshire that difference is small enough to ignore: where the building sits is not what decides this scheme, your consumption pattern is.
Solar already consented near SY1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sundorne Grove | Elgin Energy EsCo | 20 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Benbow Business Park - Roof Monted Solar PV System | Furrows Group | 0.2 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Caterpillar Factory, Lancaster Road - Solar Panels | Caterpillar Shrewsbury Limited | 0.37 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
National Grid Electricity Distribution operates the distribution network across Shropshire, 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 Shropshire the planning database records 110 solar schemes totalling 813 MW, of which 27 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 Shrewsbury
- How much does a farm roof near Shrewsbury generate?
- The model gives 852 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 426,000 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 Shrewsbury take the export?
- National Grid Electricity Distribution is the distribution network operator for Shropshire. 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 Shrewsbury?
- 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 Shropshire before design sign-off.
- Has anyone near SY1 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.