Solar panels for warehouses in Sudbury
Most of the industrial stock around Sudbury carries a large, shallow-pitched roof that was never asked to do anything. The survey measures the roof, not the postcode: cladding profile, purlin centres, remaining sheet life and the load the frame can take.
923 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 462,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in SudburyIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Distribution centre solar across Suffolk
What a roof in Sudbury actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1180 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 923 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is around 4 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 CO postcode area, starting from CO10.
Braintree is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 23,920, so the stock here runs to trade counters, light industrial terraces and the occasional larger shed (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Sudbury ranks 5 of 8 towns we cover in Suffolk on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 905 to 956, a spread of 51 kWh per kWp. On a 500 kWp array that is about 25,500 kWh a year between the strongest and weakest town in the county.
Solar already consented near CO10
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rogers Farm | Sun & Soil | 15 MW | Ground | Appeal Refused |
| Pentlow Hill | Nextpower SPV 11 Limited | 24 MW | Ground | Operational |
| Cutbush Farm, Belchamp St Paul - Solar Array | British Solar Renewables | 49.99 MW | Ground | Under Construction |
| Northern Road, Chilton Industrial Estate - Solar Park | JCS Hi-Torque Limited | 0.69 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Water Hall Farm, Waterhall Road - Solar Farm | Bluefield Renewable Developments Limited | 35 MW | Ground | Awaiting Construction |
| Brundon Lane - Solar Panels | ASR Limited | 0.27 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks operates the distribution network across Suffolk, so the export application goes to them. Anything larger than 3.68 kW per phase falls under G99, which means an application before commissioning rather than a notification afterwards. A constrained network is not the end of a scheme. Capping export costs little when the building already absorbs most of what the roof produces.
Across Suffolk the planning database records 118 solar schemes totalling 1369 MW, of which 23 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 Sudbury
- Is there enough sun in Sudbury to make this work?
- Modelled at 923 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 462,000 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 Sudbury?
- Capacity varies street by street, and only UK Power 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 Braintree?
- 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 Braintree first either way.
- Has anyone near CO10 already done this?
- The planning database records 6 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.