Solar panels for farms in Lichfield
Most holdings around Lichfield already own the best generating site they will ever have, and it is the roof of the shed they built for something else. 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.
857 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 429,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in LichfieldIllustrative 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 Lichfield generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1097 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 857 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is about 3 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 2 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 1 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 Lichfield is higher than the record shows.
We survey holdings across the WS postcode area, starting from WS13.
Lichfield 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.
Lichfield ranks 2 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.
Solar already consented near WS13
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huddlesford Farm | NESF (formerly Green Energy Networks) | 1 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Park Lane | NESF (formerly Green Energy Networks) | 1 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Newell Rubbermaid, Halifax Avenue - Solar Panels | Newell Rubbermaid UK Services Limited | 0.64 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| The Food Warehouse by Iceland - Solar Panels | Ashcroft Electrical Services Limited | 0.15 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
National Grid Electricity Distribution is the network operator here, and their answer on export capacity shapes the design. Any commercial array above 3.68 kW per phase connects under G99 rather than G98, and the application fixes what you are allowed to push back onto the network. If the local network is tight, limiting export rarely breaks the case here: most of the generation is consumed on site while the building is working.
Across Staffordshire the planning database records 118 solar schemes totalling 1054 MW, of which 17 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 Lichfield
- Is there enough sun around Lichfield to make this work?
- Modelled at 857 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 429,000 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 Lichfield?
- 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 Lichfield?
- 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 Lichfield either way.
- Has anyone near WS13 already done this?
- The planning database records 2 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.