Solar panels for warehouses in Cambridge
Most of the industrial stock around Cambridge carries a large, shallow-pitched roof that was never asked to do anything. The survey measures the roof, not the postcode: cladding profile, purlin centres, remaining sheet life and the load the frame can take.
906 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 453,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in CambridgeIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Distribution centre solar across Cambridgeshire
What a roof in Cambridge actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1160 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 906 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.
Distribution stock around Cambridge clusters on M11 J11, M11 J14 and A14, which is where the large single-let roofs are.
We survey across the CB postcode area, starting from CB1.
Cambridge is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 152,740, the size that tends to be served by mid-box last-mile units rather than national hubs (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Cambridge ranks 2 of 8 towns we cover in Cambridgeshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 898 to 908, a spread of 10 kWh per kWp. Within Cambridgeshire 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 CB1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Bedes Inter-Church School | Solar Options for Schools | 1 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Cambridge Parkside Pool | Cambridge City Council | n/a | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Coldhams Business Park, Norman Way - Solar Panels | Centrica Business Solutions | 0.5 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks operates the distribution network across Cambridgeshire, 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 Cambridgeshire the planning database records 172 solar schemes totalling 2422 MW, of which 46 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 Cambridge
- What would a 500 kWp array produce in Cambridge?
- Yes, and the number matters more than the sunshine. At 906 kWh per kWp a year, a 500 kWp array on a Cambridge roof models at around 453,000 kWh. What changes the answer is how much of that you use on site rather than export. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
- Which network operator handles the connection in Cambridge?
- Applications go to UK Power Networks, who run the network across Cambridgeshire. They decide the export limit, and we handle the G99 paperwork alongside the array design.
- What does Cambridge require for rooftop solar?
- Roof-mounted panels on a commercial building usually fall under permitted development, subject to the limits on projection above the roof plane and to the building not being listed or in a conservation area. We confirm the position with Cambridge before the design is finalised.
- Has anyone near CB1 already done this?
- The planning database records 3 solar schemes in this postcode district, 3 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.