Solar panels for warehouses in Dorking
The economics of a Dorking rooftop array turn on how much of the generation the occupier uses on site. The survey measures the roof, not the postcode: cladding profile, purlin centres, remaining sheet life and the load the frame can take.
916 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 458,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in DorkingIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Warehouse rooftop solar across Surrey
What a roof in Dorking actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1174 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 916 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is around 3 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 RH postcode area.
Mole Valley is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 17,465, so the stock here runs to trade counters, light industrial terraces and the occasional larger shed (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Dorking ranks 2 of 10 towns we cover in Surrey on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 900 to 916, a spread of 16 kWh per kWp. Within Surrey that difference is small enough to ignore: where the building sits is not what decides this scheme, your consumption pattern is.
Solar already consented near RH4
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucher Municipal, Curtis Road - Solar Panels | Bucher Municipal | 0.2 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks operates the distribution network across Surrey, 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 Surrey the planning database records 74 solar schemes totalling 182 MW, of which 6 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 Dorking
- How much does a warehouse roof in Dorking generate?
- The model gives 916 kWh for every kWp installed here, so 500 kWp comes out at about 458,000 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 Dorking have capacity?
- UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for Surrey. 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 Dorking unit?
- Usually permitted development covers it. We still put the question to Mole Valley before design sign-off, and we tell you early if a full application is needed rather than discovering it late.