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Commercial solar panels for UK businesses

Solar for warehouses, factories, farms, schools and offices, sized to how your site uses power and installed anywhere in the UK.

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  • 250+ commercial installations across 11 UK regions
  • MCS certified and NICEIC approved

Is commercial solar right for your site?

Commercial solar panels make most sense where a building uses a lot of electricity during the day. Every unit the panels produce that your site uses is a unit you don't buy from the grid, so the savings follow your daytime demand. These are the four things we look at first.

Daytime demand

Lighting, machinery, chillers, compressors or offices running in daylight hours. We read your half-hourly meter data to see exactly when you use power.

A suitable roof

Enough unshaded space and a roof that will outlast the panels, or a plan to repair it first.

Your time at the site

Solar pays back over several years, so owners and long leaseholders gain most. Tenants can still benefit with the landlord's agreement, or through a Power Purchase Agreement.

Your grid connection

Larger systems need approval from the network operator (G99) before they connect. We check the likely route at the survey.

If your site meets most of these, a survey is worth it. If it doesn't, we'll say so.

Solar panels for business, by sector

We design each system around how the site uses power. Some examples from our own work:

  • Warehouses and logistics

    Large roofs, long working days, lighting and handling equipment. Plot D2: 502 kWp on one warehouse roof.

  • Manufacturing

    Steady daytime demand from production. Scotswood Industries: 263 kWp.

  • Schools and colleges

    Big roofs and daytime use in term time. Wrekin College: 648 panels across two buildings.

  • Sports and leisure

    Clubhouses, stands and floodlit pitches. Burton Rugby Club: 220 panels.

  • Farms

    Barns, sheds and spare land for ground-mounted arrays unconfirmed. Dairy and cold storage use a lot of daytime power.

  • Offices and retail

    Daytime opening hours, and car parks suited to EV charging.

Recent commercial solar projects

  • Roof-level array detail
  • Main rooftop array
  • Full site aerial unconfirmed

Scotswood Industries · Manufacturing

263 kWp: 446 panels, four Solis inverters (200 kW in total)

Here is what we estimated for Scotswood Industries, a manufacturer:

  • 215,890 kWhEstimated generation a year
  • £43,157Estimated savings a year
  • 55 tonnesEstimated CO₂ saving a year
  • 3.5 yearsIndicative payback

Estimates from the project design, not a guarantee. Your figures depend on how your site uses power, your tariff and how much you export.

Read the project

Plot D2 · Warehouse

502 kWp · 1,128 JA Solar 445 W panels · four 110 kW Solis inverters · awarded by HEB Group

Wrekin College · Education

Old Hall: 444 panels · Music Block: 204 panels

Burton Rugby Club · Sports and leisure

128.7 kWp · 220 panels · 2 SolaX inverters (130 kW combined). The club says it saved over £25,000 on its bills in the last year unconfirmed.

See all projects

What's included, from survey to handover

A commercial solar project is more than panels on a roof. We handle every stage, working to CDM 2015, BS 7671 and MCS standards.

  1. Survey and energy review

    A site visit, a roof and structure check, and a review of your half-hourly energy data.

  2. Design

    Panel layout, inverter sizing and a generation forecast, matched to your load profile and your grid connection.

  3. Grid application

    We prepare and submit the G99 application to your network operator and deal with their questions.

  4. Installation

    Scaffolding, edge protection and working at height, scheduled around your operations.

  5. Commissioning and handover

    Testing, the electrical installation certificate, the certificates you need for export payments, warranties and monitoring set up.

  6. Aftercare

    Monitoring, maintenance options and a performance review after the first year unconfirmed.

Panels, inverters and batteries carry their manufacturers' warranties, and our workmanship is covered for 5 years unconfirmed.

What do commercial solar panels cost?

There's no fair single price for commercial solar panels. The cost depends on the size of the system, the roof, access and scaffolding, the inverters, whether you add a battery, and any work needed on your electricity supply or grid connection. After the survey we give you a written quote with a forecast of generation, savings and payback, based on your own energy data.

[Placeholder: a typical price range per kWp, once George confirms one we can publish.]

Ways to pay for commercial solar

Three routes, set side by side in your proposal. The right one depends on your cash flow, your tax position and how long you'll stay at the site.

Buy outright

You own the system and keep all the savings and export income. Solar panels may qualify for capital allowances such as the Annual Investment Allowance, which can reduce your tax bill in the year you buy. Ask your accountant how this applies to your business.

Smart Ease business finance

Spread the cost of solar, batteries and associated equipment over a fixed term, so the savings can help cover the repayments. We're a Smart Ease accredited channel partner. Terms are set by Smart Ease unconfirmed.

Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)

On suitable larger sites, a funder pays for, owns and maintains the system. You buy the electricity it produces at an agreed rate for an agreed term. Subject to the provider's approval and the size of the project.

Grants for business solar are limited and change often; schools and NHS sites have had their own, such as Great British Energy's solar scheme unconfirmed. We'll tell you if anything applies.

Finance is subject to status. Smart Ease and PPA providers are separate companies and set their own criteria. We don't give tax advice.

Adding battery storage or EV charging

Battery storage for business

A battery stores solar power you would otherwise export and uses it when your site needs it, including at peak-rate times. It suits sites with high early-morning or evening demand. On steady daytime sites, solar alone is often the better first step, and a battery can be added later.

At Colemans Garage we fitted solar at two sites but a battery only at the larger one: the smaller site didn't use enough power for a battery to pay back unconfirmed.

EV charging

If you're adding chargers for staff, fleet or visitors, plan them with the solar: one design, one look at your electricity supply and, where possible, one grid application.

The equipment we fit

We choose panels and inverters for each roof and load profile, not one package for every site. On commercial jobs we mostly use:

  • Panels: LONGi and JA Solar.
  • Inverters and storage: Solis, SolaX, SolarEdge and Fox ESS.

Each carries its own manufacturer warranty, set out in your proposal, and comes with monitoring so you can see generation in real time.

Commercial solar questions

How much do commercial solar panels cost?

It depends on the system size, the roof, access, the inverters, whether you add a battery and any work on your electricity supply. We give you a written quote after a survey, with a forecast of savings and payback based on your own half-hourly energy data.

Are commercial solar panels worth it?

They can be, especially where a building uses a lot of electricity during the day. Payback depends on how much of the power you use on site, what you pay for electricity and how you fund the system. For Scotswood Industries we estimated savings of £43,157 a year and a 3.5-year payback. We model yours before you commit.

Do we need planning permission?

Many rooftop systems on commercial buildings don't need a planning application, but listed buildings, conservation areas, ground-mounted arrays and some roofs need checks or approval first. We check this at the survey and tell you what applies.

Do we need approval from the network operator?

For most commercial systems, yes. Larger systems need G99 approval from your network operator before they connect. We prepare and submit the application, and build the timing into the programme.

Will installation disrupt the business?

We plan access, scaffolding and work areas around your operations before we start, so you know what's happening and when. Our 502 kWp system at Plot D2 took about four weeks on site unconfirmed.

Can we get paid for the power we export?

Yes, if your system and metering qualify for the Smart Export Guarantee and you sign up with a supplier that pays for exports. Rates vary by supplier, and most of the value comes from power you use on site.

Do you offer maintenance?

Yes. Inspection visits, cleaning, performance checks and repairs after handover can be covered in a maintenance plan, priced in your proposal.

Speak to an expert about your site

Tell us about your site, your energy use and your plans. Your enquiry goes to George Joslin, who leads our commercial projects unconfirmed.

0800 111 4576

What happens next

  1. Survey

    A site visit and a review of your half-hourly energy data.

  2. Design and quote

    The system design, your funding options and the grid application route.

  3. Install and aftercare

    Work planned around your site, then monitoring and support.

We install commercial solar anywhere in the UK from our base in Mickleover, Derby.

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