Solar panels for warehouses in Portsmouth
Sheds around Portsmouth tend to have more roof than the business has any other use for. We start with the covering and the structure, because a roof with five years left in it changes the answer entirely.
987 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 494,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in PortsmouthIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Distribution centre solar across Hampshire
What a roof in Portsmouth actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1265 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 987 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is around 11 percent above the mean across the towns we cover, which is as good as UK rooftop gets outside the south coast.
Distribution stock around Portsmouth clusters on M27 J12, A3(M) and A27, which is where the large single-let roofs are.
We survey across the PO postcode area, starting from PO2.
Portsmouth is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 223,305, the size that tends to be served by mid-box last-mile units rather than national hubs (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Portsmouth ranks 1 of 10 towns we cover in Hampshire on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 903 to 987, a spread of 84 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 42,000 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.
Grid connection through Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks 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 Hampshire the planning database records 237 solar schemes totalling 1634 MW, of which 51 are operational (REPD Q1 2026).
Solar already consented near PO2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMD Shipping Services | EvoEnergy | 1.2 MW | Roof | Operational |
| Portsmouth International Port - Solar Panels | Portsmouth City Council | 1.2 MW | Roof | Under Construction |
| Mountbatten Centre, Twyford Avenue - Solar Panels | Portsmouth City Council | 0.27 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 Portsmouth
- Is there enough sun in Portsmouth to make this work?
- Modelled at 987 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 494,000 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 Portsmouth?
- Capacity varies street by street, and only Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks 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 Portsmouth?
- 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 Portsmouth first either way.
- Has anyone near PO2 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.