solar panels for caravan parks in Leicester

Serving Leicester and the wider Leicestershire area, including Loughborough, Hinckley, Coalville.

Solar panels for caravan parks around Leicester and Rutland Water

Leicester sits at the centre of the East Midlands, surrounded by countryside that draws a steady holiday and short-break trade. Rutland Water, one of the largest reservoirs in England and a major sailing, cycling and birdwatching destination, lies to the east, Bradgate Park and Charnwood Forest rise to the north, the National Forest spreads across the north west, and Foxton Locks draws canal tourists to the south. The caravan parks, touring sites, lodge parks and campsites across Leicestershire and Rutland take that traffic, and energy is now a major cost for them. The average commercial energy bill across Leicester runs around £38,000 a year, and a park with a clubhouse, lodges and a full pitch network sits above that.

A holiday park’s electrical load suits solar well. Reception, shop, amenity and shower blocks, the clubhouse and the pitch supplies draw most heavily between April and October, the same window the panels generate most. Around Rutland Water in particular, the sailing and cycling trade brings visitors arriving by car, and increasingly by electric car, so guest EV charging powered from on-site solar is a natural fit that absorbs daytime generation at near-100% self-consumption.

Leicester City Council’s 2030 net zero target

Leicester City Council works to a 2030 net zero target under its Climate Action Plan, and operates a Sustainable Procurement Strategy that favours suppliers with on-site renewables. For a park operator in the Leicester and Rutland travel-to area, the practical effect is a planning service that supports rooftop solar on commercial buildings, treated as permitted development under Class A Part 14 of the GPDO 2015 for most reception, amenity and clubhouse roofs.

The booking angle matters as well. An auditable on-site generation record strengthens a Green Tourism application, and the active, outdoorsy visitors who fill the Rutland Water and Charnwood parks tend to weigh sustainability when they choose where to stay, with Green Tourism credentials influencing OTA visibility.

Where the parks sit: Rutland Water, Charnwood and the National Forest

Rutland Water and the surrounding Rutland countryside anchor the largest cluster of caravan and touring parks serving Leicester, drawing sailing, cycling and birdwatching visitors through the season. To the north, Bradgate Park and Charnwood Forest carry walking and day-trip traffic with touring and glamping sites tucked into the wooded country. The National Forest, the ongoing tree-planting project spreading across north-west Leicestershire, holds a growing number of eco-focused lodge and glamping sites whose guests respond strongly to visible renewable credentials. Foxton Locks and the canal country to the south carry more touring and waterside sites.

Most of these are gentle Midlands countryside rather than protected landscape, which keeps siting straightforward. Rooftop PV on amenity, reception and clubhouse buildings is usually the answer, with ground-mount between pitches an option on lower-density lodge and touring sites. National Forest sites in particular tend to lead with their green credentials, so visible solar fits the brand.

Leicester commercial geography and grid context

The city’s commercial estates, Beaumont Leys, Meridian Business Park, Optimus Point, Leicester Commercial Square and Frog Island, concentrate the urban load. The parks sit out in the county, where the grid varies. A G99 export connection above 17 kW per phase can take time on constrained rural sections, so for most parks we size for in-season self-consumption first and lean on the Smart Export Guarantee for the off-season surplus.

Where a rural site sits on a weak supply, or where guest EV charging for the Rutland Water sailing and cycling trade would otherwise need a costly upgrade, solar paired with battery storage lets the park self-consume and charge cars from stored solar without overloading the connection.

What a Leicester-area park pays, and what solar saves

With the average commercial energy spend in Leicester around £38,000 and lodge and clubhouse parks running higher loads, a well-sized array makes a clear difference. An 80 kW system across an amenity block and reception typically costs £64,000 to £78,000 fully installed at current rates. Under the 100% capital allowances Annual Investment Allowance, a limited-company park recovers up to 25% as a year-one tax saving.

The full method, cost per kW by size, financing routes and worked paybacks, is on our cost page. Parks that pair solar with guest EV charging we model often land near a 6 to 6.5 year payback because the charging load lifts daytime self-consumption.

A worked example near Rutland Water

A touring and static park near Rutland Water east of Leicester, 150 pitches with an amenity block, a reception, a small shop and a café serving the sailing and cycling trade, had a summer bill that kept climbing. We modelled an 80 kW array across the amenity block and reception roofs, paired with guest EV chargers to serve visitors arriving by electric car. First-year generation reached around 72,000 kWh, covering close to 72% of the site’s summer electricity, with the EV charging absorbing daytime generation at near-full self-consumption. The Workplace Charging Scheme funded part of the chargepoints, and with AIA relief simple payback landed near 6 years.

Get a quote for your Leicester-area caravan park

We deliver caravan park, touring site, lodge park and campsite solar across Leicestershire and Rutland, from Rutland Water and Charnwood Forest to the National Forest and out to Loughborough, Hinckley, Coalville, Melton Mowbray and Market Harborough. Every proposal starts with a free desk-based feasibility from your half-hourly meter data and roof drawings, with an indicative system size, generation forecast and payback inside 7 working days. Start with our grants and funding guide or request a quote and we will model your park against its real seasonal load.