Solar panels for warehouses in Consett
What makes a Consett 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.
811 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 406,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in ConsettIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Logistics solar PV across County Durham
What a roof in Consett actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1030 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 811 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is about 8 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.
Surveys run across DH postcodes, DH8 outward.
County Durham is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 29,885, so the stock here runs to trade counters, light industrial terraces and the occasional larger shed (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Consett ranks 6 of 6 towns we cover in County Durham on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 811 to 845, a spread of 34 kWh per kWp. Within County Durham 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 DH8
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number One Industrial Estate - Solar PV system | Private Developer | 0.32 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Number One Industrial Estate - Solar Panels | Gardner Aerospace | 1.02 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Highfield Energy Park | Exagen | 40 MW | Ground | Appeal Lodged |
| Derwentside Environmental Testing Servs Limited - Solar pv panels | Olympus Power | 0.38 MW | Roof | Revised |
| Derwentside Environmental Testing Servs Limited - Solar pv panels | Olympus Power | 0.38 MW | Roof | Operational |
Grid connection through Northern Powergrid
Connections around Consett are handled by Northern Powergrid, 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 County Durham the planning database records 85 solar schemes totalling 1168 MW, of which 9 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 Consett
- Is there enough sun in Consett to make this work?
- Modelled at 811 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 406,000 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 Consett?
- Capacity varies street by street, and only Northern Powergrid 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 County Durham?
- 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 County Durham first either way.
- Has anyone near DH8 already done this?
- The planning database records 5 solar schemes in this postcode district, 4 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.