Solar panels for farms in Burton upon Trent
A Burton upon Trent 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 Burton upon TrentIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Agricultural rooftop solar across Staffordshire
What a farm roof near Burton upon Trent generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1089 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.
5 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 Burton upon Trent is higher than the record shows.
Most of the buildings we look at here sit in the DE postcode area.
South Derbyshire 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.
Burton upon Trent ranks 3 of 7 towns we cover in Staffordshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 826 to 857, a spread of 31 kWh per kWp. Within Staffordshire 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
Connections around Burton upon Trent 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 Staffordshire the planning database records 118 solar schemes totalling 1054 MW, of which 17 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near DE14
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lanxess, Lichfield Road - Solar Panels | Beba Energy Limited | 0.21 MW | Roof | Application Submitted |
| Velis Kebab, Hawkins Lane - Photovoltaic Panels | Velis | 0.17 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Port Way, Branston - Solar Panels | Leonardo Crawley Limited | 0.65 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Centrum East Retail Park - Solar Panels | Ashcroft Electrical Services Limited | 0.2 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Meadowside Leisure Centre, High Street - Solar Panels | East Staffordshire Borough Council | 0.29 MW | Roof | Application Submitted |
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 Burton upon Trent
- How much does a farm roof near Burton upon Trent 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 Burton upon Trent take the export?
- National Grid Electricity Distribution is the distribution network operator for Staffordshire. 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 Burton upon Trent?
- 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 South Derbyshire before design sign-off.
- Has anyone near DE14 already done this?
- The planning database records 0 ground mounted and 5 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.