Solar panels for warehouses in Thatcham
What makes a Thatcham scheme work is rarely the panels. It is the condition of the roof underneath them. Each survey records the cladding profile, the usable area once rooflights and plant are removed, and the export limit worth applying for.
910 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 455,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in ThatchamIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Logistics solar PV across Berkshire
What a roof in Thatcham actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1168 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 910 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That sits within a few percent of the mean across the towns we cover, so the case rests on your consumption pattern rather than on the weather.
Surveys run across RG postcodes, RG19 outward.
West Berkshire is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 25,550, so the stock here runs to trade counters, light industrial terraces and the occasional larger shed (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Thatcham ranks 1 of 8 towns we cover in Berkshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 891 to 910, a spread of 19 kWh per kWp. Within Berkshire 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 RG19
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limberlost Farm | Anesco | 1.5 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Harrods Distribution Centre, Mill Lane - Solar Array | Private Developer | 1.6 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Kennet Secondary School, Stoney Lane - Solar Panels | EEnergy Group plc | 0.3 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks 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 Berkshire the planning database records 83 solar schemes totalling 317 MW, of which 8 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 Thatcham
- Is there enough sun in Thatcham to make this work?
- Modelled at 910 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 455,000 kWh a year before shading. That array needs about 1,485 sqm of clear roof once walkways and setbacks are allowed for. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
- Who do we apply to for export in Thatcham?
- Capacity varies street by street, and only Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks can answer it for your connection. We ask the question early, because an export-limited offer changes the design rather than killing the scheme.
- Do we need planning permission in West Berkshire?
- In most cases no, because roof-mounted panels on commercial buildings sit within permitted development. The exceptions are listed buildings, conservation areas and arrays that stand proud of the roof plane. We check with West Berkshire first either way.
- Has anyone near RG19 already done this?
- The planning database records 3 solar schemes in this postcode district, 2 of them roof mounted. That matters less as proof that it works and more as evidence of how the local network has been treating export applications. Source: Renewable Energy Planning Database, Q1 2026.