Solar panels for warehouses in Exeter
A Exeter warehouse roof sits idle through exactly the hours its occupier buys the most expensive electricity. We start with the covering and the structure, because a roof with five years left in it changes the answer entirely.
938 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 469,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in ExeterIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Logistics solar PV across Devon
What a roof in Exeter actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1198 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 938 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.
Distribution stock around Exeter clusters on M5 J29, M5 J30 and M5 J31, which is where the large single-let roofs are.
Surveys run across EX postcodes, EX2 outward.
Exeter is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 126,175, the size that tends to be served by mid-box last-mile units rather than national hubs (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Exeter ranks 4 of 8 towns we cover in Devon on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 903 to 961, 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.
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
National Grid Electricity Distribution 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 Devon the planning database records 248 solar schemes totalling 1451 MW, of which 90 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near EX2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowhay Farm | Lightsource Renewable Energy | 5.7 MW | Ground | Revised |
| Bowhay Farm | Lightsource Renewable Energy | 10.7 MW | Ground | Application Withdrawn |
| Exeter City Council - Solar Panel Array | Exeter City Council | 1.2 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Howmet, Kestrel Way - Solar Photovoltaic Panels | Howmet Limited | 0.4 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| William Pollard & Co, Oak House - Solar Panels | William Pollard & Co Limited | 0.19 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Matford Way, Matford - Solar Panels | Vospers Motor House | 0.23 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
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 Exeter
- How much does a warehouse roof in Exeter generate?
- The model gives 938 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 469,000 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 Exeter have capacity?
- National Grid Electricity Distribution is the distribution network operator for Devon. 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 Exeter unit?
- Usually permitted development covers it. We still put the question to Exeter before design sign-off, and we tell you early if a full application is needed rather than discovering it late.
- Has anyone near EX2 already done this?
- The planning database records 6 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.