Commercial Solar Panels

As a business owner, lowering overheads and generating clean green energy (& the reputation associated with it) can help towards a more profitable bottom line. As every business is different with various types of premises and energy requirements, our team at SolarTherm UK can work with you to advise the optimum energy efficiency set-up for your business. With rising energy bills, there has never been a better time to switch to solar!

Solar panels make a great investment for many types of commercial premises. With offices, shops and other types of commercial premises being used during the day when solar panels are at their most efficient, this electricity is instantly available to offset the use of grid-generated electricity.

SolarTherm UK has worked in many sectors including education, agriculture, factories, shops, warehouses & hospitals, to help them realise the solar energy potential. Once our team have an understanding of your business and energy requirements, we will work with you to advise the best set-up of the system. Our team of fully qualified and certified engineers can design and install your system, ensuring minimal interruption to our business. With little to no maintenance required, once your system is installed you can reap the rewards of your panels for years to come.

✅ Commercial solar panel installation can massively offset energy bills

✅ Solar panels can help create a ‘greener’ more energy conscious business

✅ With the green tax cut, VAT on solar panels is currently 0% until April 2027

✅ Solar panels generate most of their energy typically when offices are in use, maximising their efficiency for commercial premises

Depending on the size and type of solar panels, commercial solar panels can cost anywhere from thousands to hundreds of thousands of pounds. Depending on the business and energy requirements, a business may require solar panels to generate anywhere between 5Kw all the way up to 250Kw.

Typically, systems can be categorised based on their output into:

• Small – A small solar pv system is typically between 0-10Kw, which is typically ideal for most small businesses and small shops. These types of systems usually have limited space for installing panels and as such energy yields are lower.
• Medium – A medium solar system generates between 10-50Kw and is suitable for small and medium sizes businesses. Based on the panels generating 250W, 40 solar panels would be required to achieve 10Kw. A 10Kw system would typically be enough to power most of the appliances in the typical office.
• Large – Large solar systems are anywhere between 50Kw – 250Kw. Based on 250w panels, to achieve 250Kw you’d typically require 1,000 panels. This size of the solar system will generally be enough to energy requirements.

There are currently not any grants available in the UK for solar panel installation. The government have recently helped to support the installation of solar panels in the UK through the ‘green tax cut’ whereby VAT on solar panel installation will be cut to 0% until April 2027.

The smart export guarantee (SEG) is currently available for businesses to take advantage of in the UK. Launched on the 1st January 2020, the SEG offers small scale renewable energy projects the ability to sell energy back to their energy supplier as a predetermined rate. For businesses to take advantage of solar panels, the panels will have had to been installed by a MCS certified installer.

Depending on the type, size and location of the solar panel system being installed, planning permission may be required. As of April 2015, regulations now deem most commercial solar installations below 1MW as permitted development. As such, most commercial solar panel installations do not require planning permission as they adhere to the below:

• Will not protrude more than 20cm from the wall or roof slope when measured horizontally.
• Not positioned as to be higher than the highest elevation of the roof, both on a pitched and/or flat roof. The highest elevation of the roof does not include chimneys, firewalls, parapet walls and other protrusions.
• Will so far is practicable be sited to minimise their impact on the external appearance of the building.
• Will so far is practicable be sited to minimise their impact on the amenity of the area.
• They are removed when they are no longer in use or required.

In addition, solar panels cannot be installed:

• Within a conservation or World Heritage site on a wall that faces the road.
• A site designated as a scheduled monument or a listed building. This includes where the building is located within the grounds of a listed building.

For any commercial ground-mounted solar system larger than 9m sq, planning permission will be required. For specific advice based on your home or commercial premises, contact our team today.