Solar panels for warehouses in St Austell
Most of the industrial stock around St Austell 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.
936 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 468,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in St AustellIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Distribution centre solar across Cornwall
What a roof in St Austell actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1193 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 936 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is around 6 percent above the mean across the towns we cover, which is as good as UK rooftop gets outside the south coast.
We survey across the PL postcode area, starting from PL25.
Cornwall is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 24,360, so the stock here runs to trade counters, light industrial terraces and the occasional larger shed (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
St Austell ranks 5 of 8 towns we cover in Cornwall on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 921 to 979, a spread of 58 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 29,000 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.
Solar already consented near PL25
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Menear Road - Solar & Battery storage | Anesco Limited | 17.51 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Par Market, Par Moor Road - Solar Array | Par Market | 0.5 MW | Ground | Application Withdrawn |
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
National Grid Electricity Distribution operates the distribution network across Cornwall, 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 Cornwall the planning database records 174 solar schemes totalling 1116 MW, of which 88 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 St Austell
- What would a 500 kWp array produce in St Austell?
- Yes, and the number matters more than the sunshine. At 936 kWh per kWp a year, a 500 kWp array on a St Austell roof models at around 468,000 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 St Austell?
- Applications go to National Grid Electricity Distribution, who run the network across Cornwall. They decide the export limit, and we handle the G99 paperwork alongside the array design.
- What does Cornwall 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 Cornwall before the design is finalised.
- Has anyone near PL25 already done this?
- The planning database records 2 solar schemes in this postcode district. 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.