Solar Energy in UK Corporations

Green energy prices have experienced a downwards trend, facilitating the growth of demand and resulting in a rapid increase in the solar industry as a whole. On a national level, the green energy phenomenon has gained huge popularity, the UK government being one of the major contributors to this.

Solar energy in the UK is widely used in households, through installation of solar panels which are now available for all types of homes, varying in sizes and power outputs. Furthermore, solar energy has seen a rise among UK corporations. Through installing solar panel systems on commercial rooftops, companies can benefit from solar energy as well.

If you are interested in investing in solar panels for your home, then simply fill in the contact form above and GreenMatch will connect you with up to four quotes from our network of trusted suppliers in the UK. This service is free and non-binding.

Advantages of Solar Energy in UK Corporations

Size

Advantages of commercial rooftops over household roofs include size of the roof space which can accommodate big solar panel systems on warehouses and factories for example. The roof space of such structures is functionless and vacant, so the cost of installing the solar panels is reduced due to this.

Save Money

Companies can save money through the installation of solar panels on the roof of their businesses . The bigger the installed system is, the less time it would take a business to become self-sufficient with power generation. This can drastically decrease energy bills if not eliminate them completely. More so the installation of solar energy on commercial rooftops can add to the commercial value of the property.

Government Support

Solar PV installations were previously incentivised through the Feed in Tariff in the UK. However, since April 2019, this government scheme has closed and is no longer available to UK homeowners. The reason for this, according to the UK government, is that the types of renewable energy installations under the FIT scheme have become affordable enough that there is no longer a need for any subsidies.

Read More: Government Support of Commercial Solar Rooftop Installations 

Solar Strategy

In its efforts to increase solar energy in UK corporations, the government has devised a solar strategy. This strategy aims to transform vacant land and buildings into power stations which could not only increase the region’s dependence on solar energy but create more jobs at the same time. At the basis of the solar strategy are four principles which bring to understanding the aim of the government project.

• Solar PV development will result in the contribution to the carbon objectives through cost-effective projects, and as a whole to the overall energy goals of the region. This support for solar PV will ensure that the technology will have an equally important role among other technological efforts, in reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy security, thus making this more affordable for the customers.
• Increased emphasis on solar PV will reduce carbon emissions, thus helping meet the UK’s target of 15% renewable energy from final consumption by 2020 and furthermore positively impacting the UK economy on a long term basis.
• The development of solar PV should take into consideration environmental impacts such as landscape, heritage and local amenity. Local communities should be allowed to influence the decisions which may affect them.
• The impacts on the national grid such as grid systems balancing, connectivity, and financial incentives should be assessed. The challenges of deploying high volumes of solar PV will need to be evaluated.

Changes in Solar Strategy

One of the issues that the solar strategy initially did not take into consideration was the impact on leasehold and tenancy agreements. With more than half of the UK’s commercial property being leasehold, this was a crucial area that needed to be assessed.

One of the challenges raised by this is persuading the landlords into making a long term solar investment, typically around 20 years, when the average commercial lease lengths in the UK are under 10 years.

After revision of the Solar Strategy, the DECC confirming that it will be possible from 2019 for building mounted solar panels to be moved to a different location without losing Feed in Tariff accreditation, and that schemes up to 1MW in size will no longer require full planning approval before permission is granted.

Read More: Changes in Solar Strategy 

If you are ready to install solar panels in your home, then GreenMatch is here to help make that process easier! Simply fill in the contact form above and we will offer up to four quotes from suppliers near you. This service only takes 1 minute, is completely free, and without further obligations!