Solar panels for farms in Dudley
Around Dudley the constraint is rarely the roof. It is the incoming supply and what the network will accept back. 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.
845 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 423,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in DudleyIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Farm building solar PV across West Midlands
What a farm roof near Dudley generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1083 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 845 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.
1 roof mounted scheme is on record nearby. Roof arrays under a megawatt frequently never reach that database at all, so the real number of farm roofs generating around Dudley is higher than the record shows.
We survey holdings across the DY postcode area, starting from DY2.
Dudley 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.
Dudley ranks 7 of 8 towns we cover in West Midlands on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 839 to 868, a spread of 29 kWh per kWp. Within West Midlands 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 Dudley 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 West Midlands the planning database records 195 solar schemes totalling 533 MW, of which 3 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near DY2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1, Woodside Industrial Estate - Solar Panels | SNRG Limited | 0.25 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
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 Dudley
- How much does a farm roof near Dudley generate?
- The model gives 845 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 423,000 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 Dudley take the export?
- National Grid Electricity Distribution is the distribution network operator for West Midlands. 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 Dudley?
- 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 Dudley before design sign-off.