Solar panels for warehouses in Solihull
What makes a Solihull scheme work is rarely the panels. It is the condition of the roof underneath them. The survey measures the roof, not the postcode: cladding profile, purlin centres, remaining sheet life and the load the frame can take.
860 kWh per kWp a year at this latitude, so a 500 kWp array models at about 430,000 kWh. Source: EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss.
Book a roof survey in SolihullIllustrative layout for a unit of this size. Your own figures come from the roof survey.
Logistics solar PV across West Midlands
What a roof in Solihull actually generates
Modelled irradiation at this latitude is 1102 kWh per square metre a year in the plane of a shallow-pitched roof, which works out at 860 kWh for every kWp installed (EU PVGIS v5.2, SARAH3, 10 degree pitch, 14 percent system loss). That is about 3 percent below the mean across the towns we cover, so the case here leans harder on how much you use on site rather than on raw generation.
Distribution stock around Solihull clusters on M42 J4, M42 J6 and A45, which is where the large single-let roofs are.
Surveys run across B postcodes, B91 outward.
Solihull is the planning authority for most sites here, and the built-up area holds a population of about 107,735, the size that tends to be served by mid-box last-mile units rather than national hubs (ONS Census 2021 built-up areas).
Solihull ranks 2 of 8 towns we cover in West Midlands on modelled yield, against a national mean of 886 kWh per kWp. The county runs from 839 to 868, a spread of 29 kWh per kWp. Within West Midlands 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 B91
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tudor Grange, Solihull Dingle Lane - PV Solar Panels | Tudor Grange Academy | 0.47 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
| Tudor Grange Academy, Dingle Lane - Solar Photovoltaic Panels | Tudor Grange Academy | 0.28 MW | Roof | Awaiting Construction |
Grid connection through National Grid Electricity Distribution
National Grid Electricity Distribution 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 West Midlands the planning database records 195 solar schemes totalling 533 MW, of which 3 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 Solihull
- Is there enough sun in Solihull to make this work?
- Modelled at 860 kWh per kWp a year for a shallow-pitched roof at this latitude, which puts a 500 kWp array at roughly 430,000 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 Solihull?
- Capacity varies street by street, and only National Grid Electricity Distribution 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 Solihull?
- 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 Solihull first either way.
- Has anyone near B91 already done this?
- The planning database records 2 solar schemes in this postcode district, 2 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.