Solar panels for warehouses in Exmouth
Most of the industrial stock around Exmouth 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.
937 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 ExmouthIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Distribution centre solar across Devon
What a roof in Exmouth actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1200 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 937 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 EX postcode area, starting from EX8.
East Devon is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 35,500, so the stock here runs to trade counters, light industrial terraces and the occasional larger shed (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Exmouth ranks 6 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.
Solar already consented near EX8
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liverton Farm | Clinton Devon Estates | 4.8 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Bystock Solar Farm | Lightsource Renewable Energy | 4.1 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Coombe Farm | Renewable Energy Systems Ltd (RES) | 8 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Veiges Farm Solar Park | Inazin (Veiges Farm Solar Park Ltd) | 5 MW | Ground | Abandoned |
| Devon Cliffs Holiday Centre, Sandy Bay - Solar panels | Bourne Leisure Group | 0.51 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
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).
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 Exmouth
- Is there enough sun in Exmouth to make this work?
- Modelled at 937 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 469,000 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 Exmouth?
- Capacity varies street by street, and only National Grid Electricity Distribution 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 East Devon?
- 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 East Devon first either way.
- Has anyone near EX8 already done this?
- The planning database records 5 solar schemes in this postcode district, 1 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.