What are commercial solar panels?

Commercial solar panels are roof-mounted (or, less commonly, ground- or canopy-mounted) photovoltaic systems installed on business and commercial buildings to generate electricity on site. They are the same core technology as domestic panels but installed at scale — typically 50 kWp to over 1 MWp — and engineered around a commercial building's electrical infrastructure, roof structure and, where the building is let, its lease.

How much do commercial solar panels cost in the UK?

Installed cost is typically £700–£1,100 per kWp in 2026, falling with scale: roughly £35,000–£60,000 for a 50 kWp system, £82,000–£110,000 for 100 kWp, £150,000–£240,000 for 250 kWp, and £700,000–£900,000 for 1 MWp — all ex-VAT (commercial solar is 0% VAT). See our [cost guide](/cost/) for the full breakdown by system size.

Are commercial solar panels worth it for a business?

For most UK commercial buildings with meaningful daytime electricity use, yes. Simple payback is typically 4–8 years (3–5 on high-load sites), and the Annual Investment Allowance plus the business-rates exemption to 2035 shorten that further. The return is driven by self-consumption — using the power on site rather than exporting it — so the economics depend on the building's load profile, which we model from half-hourly meter data.

What size commercial solar system does a building need?

It is sized from half-hourly consumption and load shape, not roof area. UK rooftop solar yields around 950 kWh per kWp per year, and the aim is to match generation to on-site daytime demand for high self-consumption. A typical mid-size commercial roof takes 100–250 kWp; large industrial and logistics roofs run to 1 MWp and beyond.

Do commercial solar panels need planning permission?

Usually not a full application. The 1 MW capacity cap on commercial rooftop solar was removed in December 2023, so even large arrays are permitted development under Class J, subject to a 56-day prior-approval step on design and glint/glare. Listed buildings and conservation areas are exceptions. In practice the G99 DNO grid connection above ~50 kW is the bigger timeline driver — see our [planning and grid guide](/guides/planning-and-grid-commercial-solar/).

How long do commercial solar panels last?

Panels carry 25–30 year performance warranties and typically keep generating beyond that at a gradually declining output (around 0.4–0.5% a year). Inverters are usually replaced once at 10–15 years. A well-installed commercial array is a 25–30 year asset, which is why roof condition and lifecycle matter at the design stage.

UK commercial solar specialists

Commercial solar panels for UK businesses and buildings

Commercial solar panels turn a business roof into a 25-year generating asset. Here is what they cost, how they are sized, and how to buy them — whether you occupy your building or own it as an investment.

Commercial solar panels — also called business solar panels or solar panels for commercial buildings — are photovoltaic systems installed at scale on offices, industrial units, warehouses, retail premises and mixed-use buildings. The technology is mature and the economics are strong: with commercial electricity at roughly 24–28p per kWh in 2026, every unit a building generates and uses on site displaces grid power at full retail price, while surplus is exported under the Smart Export Guarantee. The result is a typical payback of four to eight years and a 25–30 year asset that keeps paying back long after.

What sets a commercial install apart from a domestic one is not the panels — it is the engineering around them: the half-hourly load modelling, the structural and electrical design, the G99 grid connection, and, where the building is let, the lease. That last point is where most installers stop and we begin.

How much do commercial solar panels cost?

Installed cost runs at roughly £700–£1,100 per kWp in 2026 and falls as the system scales — a megawatt array is far cheaper per unit than a 50 kWp one. All figures below are ex-VAT, because the supply and installation of commercial solar has been zero-rated for VAT since April 2022.

System size	Installed cost (ex-VAT)	Typical building
50 kWp	£35,000–£60,000	Small unit / single occupier
100 kWp	£82,000–£110,000	Mid-size commercial roof
250 kWp	£150,000–£240,000	Warehouse / large retail
500 kWp	£350,000–£500,000	Big-box logistics
1 MWp	£700,000–£900,000	Distribution / portfolio anchor

Payback is typically four to eight years, shortening to three to five on high-load sites, and the Annual Investment Allowance (100% first-year tax relief up to £1m) plus the business-rates exemption to 2035 sharpen the post-tax figure. Our commercial solar cost guide breaks the numbers down further, and the funding and tax page covers the reliefs.

Solar panels by commercial building type

Every commercial building generates differently. We design and install across all of them:

Industrial and logistics property — large shed roofs, the lowest cost per kWp, ideal for 250 kWp–1 MWp arrays.
Office buildings — Monday-to-Friday daytime demand suits solar, with the strongest green-premium evidence.
Retail parks and retail units — daytime trading plus car-park solar canopies.
Multi-let commercial buildings — common-parts supply and tenant power-purchase agreements.
Mixed-use developments — blended landlord, commercial and residential supply.

Owner-occupier or landlord? It changes the economics

If your business owns and occupies its building, commercial solar is the simplest capital project you can run — you keep 100% of the saving and claim the full allowances. If you are a landlord or investor, the picture is different: under a typical lease your tenant pays the energy bills, so the value has to be engineered through the lease. That is the heart of what we do, and it is covered in full in the split incentive solved. Either way, solar lifts your building\'s EPC and protects its lettability under MEES.

How to buy commercial solar panels

The process is the same whether you fund it yourself or through a third party. We start with your half-hourly meter data and a free desk feasibility, follow with a structural and electrical survey and a fixed-price proposal, handle the Class J prior approval and G99 DNO connection, then install and commission — typically a six-to-nine-month programme end to end. We also handle the funding route, from capital purchase with full capital allowances to a third-party-funded roof lease at zero capex. See commercial solar panel installation for the full process.

The panels and inverters we install

We are independent of any single manufacturer, so the specification follows the building and the budget, not a supplier target. On panels we install tier-1 modules — typically AIKO, LONGi, REC, Trina Solar, JA Solar, Jinko and DMEGC — in the 400–590 W range at around 20–22% efficiency, with 25–30 year performance warranties. On inverters we work with SMA, Fronius, SolarEdge, Huawei and Sungrow, sized to the array and the grid connection, and we specify hybrid inverters where a battery is planned. Every proposal names the exact panel and inverter model and shares the PVSyst yield file, so any third party can check the numbers. The "best" commercial solar panel is the one that fits your roof, load and budget and is installed properly — the design and the installer matter more than the badge.

Estimate your numbers

Want a quick figure before you talk to anyone? Our commercial solar calculator estimates the cost, generation, annual saving and payback for any system size in seconds — then send us your half-hourly data and we turn it into a fixed-price proposal.