Solar panels for warehouses in Paignton
The economics of a Paignton rooftop array turn on how much of the generation the occupier uses on site. Each survey records the cladding profile, the usable area once rooflights and plant are removed, and the export limit worth applying for.
961 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 481,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in PaigntonIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Warehouse rooftop solar across Devon
What a roof in Paignton actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1221 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 961 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is around 8 percent above the mean across the towns we cover, which is as good as UK rooftop gets outside the south coast.
Most of the units we look at here sit in the TQ postcode area.
Torbay is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 67,520, so the stock here runs to trade counters, light industrial terraces and the occasional larger shed (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Paignton ranks 1 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 TQ4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torbay Leisure Centre - Energy Project | Leisure Energy | 0.17 MW | Roof | Under Construction |
| South Devon College, Spots Hall - Solar Panels | South Devon College | 0.26 MW | Roof | Application Withdrawn |
| Morrisons, Totnes Road - Solar Panels | Morrisons | 0.29 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
Connections around Paignton are handled by National Grid Electricity Distribution, 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 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 Paignton
- What would a 500 kWp array produce in Paignton?
- Yes, and the number matters more than the sunshine. At 961 kWh per kWp a year, a 500 kWp array on a Paignton roof models at around 481,000 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 Paignton?
- Applications go to National Grid Electricity Distribution, who run the network across Devon. They decide the export limit, and we handle the G99 paperwork alongside the array design.
- What does Torbay 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 Torbay before the design is finalised.
- Has anyone near TQ4 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.