Solar panels for warehouses in Crewe
Most of the industrial stock around Crewe carries a large, shallow-pitched roof that was never asked to do anything. Each survey records the cladding profile, the usable area once rooflights and plant are removed, and the export limit worth applying for.
835 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 418,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in CreweIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Distribution centre solar across Cheshire
What a roof in Crewe actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1069 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 835 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is about 6 percent below the mean across the towns we cover, so the case here leans harder on how much you use on site rather than on raw generation.
Distribution stock around Crewe clusters on M6 J16, M6 J17 and A500, which is where the large single-let roofs are.
We survey across the CW postcode area, starting from CW2.
Cheshire East is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 74,120, so the stock here runs to trade counters, light industrial terraces and the occasional larger shed (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Crewe ranks 3 of 8 towns we cover in Cheshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 790 to 840, a spread of 50 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 25,000 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.
Solar already consented near CW2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunnybank Road - Solar Photovoltaics Panel | 3Ti Energy Hubs Limited | 0.37 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Bentley Motors Limited, Sunnybank Road - Solar Panels | 3Ti Energy Hubs Limited | 0.7 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Bentley Motors, Sunnybank Road - Solar Photovoltaics Panels | 3ti Energy Hubs Limited | 0.54 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through SP Energy Networks / Electricity North West
Connections around Crewe are handled by SP Energy Networks / Electricity North West, 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 warehouse uses most of what the roof makes during the working day.
Across Cheshire the planning database records 157 solar schemes totalling 582 MW, of which 13 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 Crewe
- How much does a warehouse roof in Crewe generate?
- The model gives 835 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 418,000 kWh a year before any shading losses. You need roughly 1,485 sqm of clear roof to fit it. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
- Does the grid around Crewe have capacity?
- SP Energy Networks / Electricity North West is the distribution network operator for Cheshire. Anything above 3.68 kW per phase connects under G99, and the application sets the export limit. We submit it as part of the design.
- Is planning permission needed for panels on a Crewe unit?
- Usually permitted development covers it. We still put the question to Cheshire East before design sign-off, and we tell you early if a full application is needed rather than discovering it late.
- Has anyone near CW2 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.