In many cases, yes, and where there are challenges, there are often practical solutions.

Most commercial buildings can be assessed for solar, but the key factors are roof suitability, ownership, structural capacity, and shading. If your building is leased, installation may still be possible with the landlord’s approval.

If there are any concerns around the roof structure, we can arrange structural surveys and assessments to confirm suitability before any installation moves forward.

Where shading is a factor, this doesn’t always rule solar out. We can design around partial shading using optimised systems such as SolarEdge, helping to reduce the impact on performance and maximise generation.

The best way to find out is with a professional assessment, we’ll review your site and advise on the most suitable system for your building.

Businesses have traditionally relied on fossil fuels like oil or gas or used electricity from the energy companies to generate heat. Solar panels are a greener choice because they are a low-carbon renewable source of energy generated from daylight. The electricity produced can meet your energy demands to power your business, and any excess can be stored in solar batteries, or even exported back to the Grid. As with all technologies, solar isn’t perfect and in the production and distribution of solar panels there are carbon impacts, however, these are typically offset within a short time of installation.

Savings vary depending on your system size, energy usage and site conditions, but most businesses see significant reductions in electricity costs from day one.

The biggest factor is how much energy you use during the day, as this is when your solar system is generating power. The more you use on-site, the more you can save. System design, roof orientation and shading can also influence performance, but these are all factored in during our assessment.

Typically, commercial systems are designed to deliver strong returns over 25+ years, with many businesses achieving payback in under 4–5 years, while continuing to generate free electricity long after.

We provide a tailored savings forecast for your site, so you can clearly see expected savings, return on investment, and long-term value before making a decision.

Planning permission is not usually required for solar panels on commercial settings as they are normally considered ‘Permitted Development’. This is subject to the installation meeting the conditions laid down including size, height, distance from the property boundary, and visibility.

The time taken for a solar installation at a commercial premises will depend on the size and specific requirements of the project. Commercial installations can require multiple days to be installed, especially if the premises and roof space are large, and therefore requiring significant numbers of solar panels..

Solar doesn’t require direct sunlight in order to generate, so electricity can still be produced on cloudier days, albeit at a lower rate. When your solar system is not producing electricity at sufficient rate to meet your business needs, you will just draw electricity from the grid, as you did prior to the solar installation.

Commercial solar panels will usually last between 20-25 years, but for more modern solar panels the lifespan could even reach 40 years. Efficiency can reduce over time and inverters need to be maintained and occasionally replaced, but overall the lifespan of solar panels is long, allowing you to get a return on your investment several times over.

Businesses can claim tax relief under the Annual Investment Allowance of up to £1 Million. This tax break allows you to take 100% of qualifying investments off of your taxable profits, thus reducing your corporation tax bill and in turn the cost of going solar. As an example, a solar PV system costing £166,600 could be reduced to £134,946 – being reduced by £31,654 (19% Corporation Tax). You may only claim a saving on solar against the Annual Investment Allowance if you have not exhausted the £1 Million annual cap. For more information read our full article on solar panel capital allowances.

We know that a commercial solar PV system can be a significant outlay for some businesses and for this reason it is possible to pay the costs in instalments. We can refer you to asset finance providers to fund your system and pay for it over a period of 10 years.

Getting solar installed is a straightforward process, and we guide you through each step.

Once you get in touch, we’ll carry out an initial assessment and provide a bespoke system design and savings forecast for your site. We’ll then complete a site survey to finalise the technical design and confirm the best solution for your building.

For most commercial systems, we also need approval from your local electricity network operator (DNO). In simple terms, this is the company responsible for the local power network, and they need to confirm that your new solar system can be safely connected to the grid. This process typically takes 1–3 months.

Once this is in place, installation can usually be scheduled within around 4 weeks.

We manage the process from design through to installation and commissioning, making it as simple as possible for your business to start benefiting from solar.