How much does a warehouse roof in Harlow generate?

The model gives 908 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 454,000 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 Harlow have capacity?

UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for Essex. 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 Harlow unit?

Usually permitted development covers it. We still put the question to Harlow before design sign-off, and we tell you early if a full application is needed rather than discovering it late.

Has anyone near CM20 already done this?

The planning database records 4 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.

Solar panels for warehouses in Harlow

A Harlow 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.

908 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 454,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.

Book a roof survey in Harlow

Drawing Harlow unit

Roof 96 x 62 m

Array 500 kWp

Yield 454,000 kWh/yr

Scale 1:500 / Rev A / CM20

Illustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.

Harlow / Essex

Distribution estate in the east of England with solar arrays on several roofs — Industrial stock of the kind we survey across East of England.

Logistics solar PV across Essex

What a roof in Harlow actually generates

Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1164 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 908 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That sits within a few percent of the mean across the towns we cover, so the case rests on your consumption pattern rather than on the weather.

Distribution stock around Harlow clusters on M11 J7, A414 and A1025, which is where the large single-let roofs are.

Surveys run across CM postcodes, CM20 outward.

Harlow is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 93,580, the size that tends to be served by mid-box last-mile units rather than national hubs (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).

FIG. 1 What a Harlow roof makes, month by month

Jul produces 5.7 times what Dec does on the same roof. A 500 kWp array here models at about 454,000 kWh across the year, but it arrives unevenly, which is why we size against your summer daytime load and then look at whether storage is worth adding for the shoulder months.

Monthly figures as a table

Month	kWh per kWp	500 kWp array
Jan	25	12,500
Feb	39	19,500
Mar	74	37,000
Apr	105	52,500
May	120	60,000
Jun	125	62,500
Jul	126	63,000
Aug	107	53,500
Sep	84	42,000
Oct	52	26,000
Nov	30	15,000
Dec	22	11,000

Source: EU PVGIS v5.2

FIG. 2 Harlow against the rest of Essex

Colchester953
Canvey Island945
Southend-on-Sea942
Basildon933
Braintree932
Chelmsford930
Grays927
Brentwood913
Harlow908

Harlow ranks 10 of 10 towns we cover in Essex on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 908 to 973, a spread of 65 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 32,500 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.

Bars are zero based, so length is proportional to the figure. Where a county is flat, that is the finding: location is not the lever, consumption is. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, modelled per town

Grid connection through UK Power Networks

Connections around Harlow are handled by UK Power Networks, 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 Essex the planning database records 221 solar schemes totalling 2787 MW, of which 46 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).

Solar already consented near CM20

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
Gates Of Harlow, Edinburgh Way - Solar Panels	Unknown	0.16 MW	Ground	Awaiting Construction
Calder House, Central Road - Solar Panels	Nuveen Real Estate	0.36 MW	Roof	Awaiting Construction
Harlow Leisurezone, Second Avenue - Solar panels	Harlow Leisurezone	0.7 MW	Roof	Awaiting Construction
Edinburgh Way - Solar Panels	Indurent Propco A1 Limited	0.2 MW	Roof	Application Submitted

Book the survey

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 Harlow

How much does a warehouse roof in Harlow generate?: The model gives 908 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 454,000 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 Harlow have capacity?: UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for Essex. 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 Harlow unit?: Usually permitted development covers it. We still put the question to Harlow before design sign-off, and we tell you early if a full application is needed rather than discovering it late.
Has anyone near CM20 already done this?: The planning database records 4 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.

Nearby

All Essex locations