Solar panels for farms in Solihull
The case for solar on a Solihull holding turns on how much of the output the farm uses itself, not on how much the roof makes. The survey starts on the covering: fibre cement or steel, its remaining life, the purlin spacing and what the frame will carry.
860 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 430,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in SolihullIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Solar for agricultural buildings across West Midlands
What a farm roof near Solihull generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1102 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 860 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.
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 Solihull is higher than the record shows.
Surveys run across B postcodes, B91 outward.
Solihull 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.
Solihull ranks 2 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.
Solar already consented near B91
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tudor Grange, Solihull Dingle Lane - PV Solar Panels | Tudor Grange Academy | 0.47 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Tudor Grange Academy, Dingle Lane - Solar Photovoltaic Panels | Tudor Grange Academy | 0.28 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 West Midlands the planning database records 195 solar schemes totalling 533 MW, of which 3 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 Solihull
- Is there enough sun around Solihull to make this work?
- Modelled at 860 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 430,000 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 Solihull?
- 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 Solihull?
- 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 Solihull either way.
- Has anyone near B91 already done this?
- The planning database records 0 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.