Most commercial buildings will be exempt from receiving planning permission ahead of installation, as long as they adhere to following planning guidance:

- Commercial solar panels need to be installed in a manner that minimises the impact of the overall building and general area’s appearance
- Flat roof solar installations must be less than 1m above the highest part of the roof, excluding chimneys
- Roof-mounted installations are not permitted to protrude by more than 200mm from the roof’s surface
- Roof mounted solar panels must be installed 1m+ from the edge of the roof
- In Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, no solar panels are permitted to be installed on a wall or roof slope which faces a road
- A ground mounted solar installation, must not be larger than 9m2

If the solar panels are going to be installed on a building of historical interest, then you will be required to gain permission which includes listed buildings, ancient monuments or world heritage sites.

With the UK's ambitious carbon reduction targets, there are new grants and schemes being allocated across multiple industries at to encourage the installation of energy efficient / low carbon technologies, we would suggest frequently searching for grants or contacting your local council representative on a regular basis to see if any additional funds can be allocated.

Some current options but not limited to include:
- Power Purchase Agreement – A Solar PPA or Power Purchase Agreement allows an investor to pay and maintain the Solar PV installation. Therefore, the investor would pay for the installation and no upfront cost to the business. However, the business will be able to purchase the solar generated electricity from the investor at a cheaper rate than the national grid
- Super Deduction – THE SUPER-DEDUCTION provides businesses with the opportunity of 130% first year tax relief on main rate plant and machinery purchases from APRIL 2021-March 31st 2023

In most cases, commercial sites will be operational in daylight hours and therefore the businesses are likely to use all the generated electricity from their solar array. This will create a better return on investment. However, this is not always the case and if the site has a large enough roof space and high usage in the evening (outside daily hours), then a solar battery will become feasible.

Please contact Green Label Renewables and our experts will be happy to help.