Solar panels for farms in Cannock
The case for solar on a Cannock 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.
842 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 421,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in CannockIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Farm building solar PV across Staffordshire
What a farm roof near Cannock generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1078 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 842 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is about 5 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. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.
We survey holdings across the WS postcode area, starting from WS11.
Cannock Chase 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.
Cannock ranks 5 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
National Grid Electricity Distribution operates the distribution network across Staffordshire, 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 Staffordshire the planning database records 118 solar schemes totalling 1054 MW, of which 17 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near WS11
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finning Limited, Watling Street - Solar Farm | Finning (UK) Limited Head Office | n/a | Ground | 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 Cannock
- How much does a farm roof near Cannock generate?
- The model gives 842 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 421,000 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 Cannock 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 Cannock?
- 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 Cannock Chase before design sign-off.