Commercial solar for Dorset and Hampshire.
Installed and maintained by one local team. For industrial units, warehouses and farms across the South Coast.
What it costs.
Guide prices, all + VAT.
Several buildings? Priced per unit, one survey. Buy outright, spread it over 3 to 7 years, or ask about a funded PPA on larger roofs.
What it saves.
Most commercial roofs pay for themselves in 4 to 6 years, or 3 to 4 once year-one tax relief is counted. Here is how that looks on three common building sizes.
Small unit 20 kWp, 140 m² of roof | Medium unit 100 kWp, 700 m² of roof | Large unit 250 kWp, 1,750 m² of roof | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saves a year | £4,550 | £19,100 | £41,750 |
| Guide price, + VAT | about £22,000 | about £85,000 | about £170,000 |
| Pays for itself in | 4.8 years | 4.5 years | 4.1 years |
| After year-one tax relief | 3.6 years | 3.3 years | 3.1 years |
Every roof is different. We measure yours, look at your half-hourly data and give you the real number, not a textbook one.
Every roof is different. We measure yours and give you the real number, not a textbook one.
The assumptions behind these figures
900 kWh per kWp a year in southern England, 70 to 85% of the power used on site depending on the size of the system next to the building's load, DESNZ average non-domestic electricity prices for Q1 2026 (28.76p small, 25p medium and 23.93p large users, including CCL), export sold at 6p per kWh, and tax relief at 25% corporation tax. Rising electricity prices and panel degradation are both left out. Your half-hourly data decides the real number.
Up to 25% of it comes back in year one.
Solar is a capital allowance. You deduct the whole cost from your taxable profits in the year you buy it, so HMRC pays for a quarter of the roof.
Payback on that unit drops from 4.5 years to 3.3.
The Annual Investment Allowance
Covers the full cost, up to £1 million a year. Install before your year end and it lands in this year's accounts.
No business rates on it until 2035
Rooftop solar and batteries are rates exempt in England to March 2035, and VAT-registered businesses reclaim the VAT in full.
Not tax advice. Your accountant confirms what applies to you.
Next: how it worksThree ways to pay for it.
You do not need the cash in the bank to put solar on a commercial roof.
Buy it outright
You own the system and keep every pound it saves. The Annual Investment Allowance takes up to a quarter of the cost off your tax bill in year one.
Spread the cost
Most commonAsset finance over three to seven years, subject to credit. On a longer term the saving usually covers most of the monthly payment, so the roof largely pays for itself as it goes.
A funded system
Bigger roofsOn roofs of roughly 100 kWp and up, a funder pays for the system and you buy the power it makes at around 15p a unit instead of the 25p to 28p you pay the grid. You can usually buy it out later.
Which one suits you depends on your year end and how much of the power you use on site. We will tell you which we would do, and why.
Next: how it worksHow a commercial solar install works.
Seven steps, start to finish. The install itself is one to three weeks on site. The rest is design, the grid connection and, on bigger roofs, planning, and we run those at the same time wherever we can.
Most jobs run 3 to 6 months, set by the grid connection. We apply the day you sign.
- 1
Site visit
We measure the roof, check the switchgear and ask your supplier for 12 months of half-hourly data. No charge, no obligation.
- 2
Design and proposal
Panel layout around rooflights and plant, a structural check on the roof, inverter and cable design, a yield figure for your postcode, and a fixed price.
- 3
Grid connection
We apply to SSEN under G99 the day you sign, and chase it weekly. Nothing else moves until permission lands, so we get it in early rather than wait for everything else to be ready.
- 4
Planning, if it needs it
Runs alongsideMost commercial rooftop solar is permitted development. Above 50 kW it needs prior approval, a 56-day clock that runs at the same time as the grid application. Listed buildings and the New Forest we flag at survey.
- 5
Install
1 to 3 weeks on siteAccess, mounting, panels, inverters and cabling by MCS certified teams, project managed by us. You keep trading throughout.
- 6
Switch-on
Commissioning, the DNO witness test on systems above 50 kW, certificates, and monitoring set up on your phone.
- 7
Kept working
Year one onwardsAn annual inspection, monitoring we actually watch, and a report your insurer accepts. Same team, no handover to a call centre.
Will your roof take it?
Most will. Here is the honest answer for each type, including the one we turn down.
Trapezoidal metal Ideal | Clamps fix to the crowns and into the purlins. Quick, no ballast, and the cheapest per kWp. |
|---|---|
Standing seam metal Ideal | Non-penetrating clamps grip the seam, so nothing is drilled through the roof at all. |
Flat, single-ply membrane Usually fine | Ballasted frames, east to west. Needs the membrane maker's sign-off so your roof warranty stays intact. |
Composite insulated panel Usually fine | Fixings go through into the structure with the panel maker's approval, and panels set back from compartment walls for the insurers. |
Tile or slate Possible | Same as a house, just bigger. More labour per panel than metal. |
Asbestos cement Usually not | You cannot fix through it safely and most fail a wind uplift check. We would look at overcladding first, or a ground mount. |
Clamps fix to the crowns and into the purlins. Quick, no ballast, and the cheapest per kWp.
Non-penetrating clamps grip the seam, so nothing is drilled through the roof at all.
Ballasted frames, east to west. Needs the membrane maker's sign-off so your roof warranty stays intact.
Fixings go through into the structure with the panel maker's approval, and panels set back from compartment walls for the insurers.
Same as a house, just bigger. More labour per panel than metal.
You cannot fix through it safely and most fail a wind uplift check. We would look at overcladding first, or a ground mount.
A maintenance company that installs.
We look after solar systems across Dorset and Hampshire every day, which is why we are fussy about how they go on in the first place. Based at Basepoint in Christchurch.
One named contact
The same person from the first visit to switch-on, not a rep who takes the order and hands you to a project team you never meet.
Our own MCS engineers
Certified teams do the work, signed off and certificated properly, with the G99 application handled here rather than farmed out.
Maintained by the same people
Whoever puts it up services it afterwards. That is the business we were in before we installed anything.
Already got panels on the roof?
Business maintenance, cleaning and repairs, priced per panel.
Common questions
How much do commercial solar panels cost in 2026?+
Installed prices in Dorset and Hampshire run from about £1,300 per kWp on a small roof to about £680 per kWp on a large one, all + VAT. A typical 50 kWp system on an industrial unit costs £40,000 to £50,000 and pays back in 4 to 6 years.
How much does commercial solar save a business?+
A 100 kWp system on a Dorset or Hampshire warehouse makes about 90,000 kWh a year and saves about £19,100 at 2026 non-domestic prices, paying for itself in about 4.5 years, or 3.3 once year-one tax relief is counted. A 20 kWp system on a small unit saves about £4,550 a year; a 250 kWp system on a large unit saves about £41,750.
Can my business claim tax relief on solar panels?+
Yes. Solar panels qualify for the Annual Investment Allowance, so a business can deduct the full cost from its taxable profits in the year of purchase, up to £1 million, worth 19% to 25% of the cost to a company. Companies that have used their allowance can claim the 50% first-year allowance instead, because solar is special-rate plant and does not qualify for full expensing. Rooftop solar and batteries are also exempt from business rates in England until 31 March 2035, and VAT-registered businesses reclaim the VAT.
How long does a commercial solar installation take?+
Most commercial solar jobs take 3 to 6 months from first site visit to switch-on. The installation itself is one to three weeks on site; the rest is design, the G99 grid connection application, which usually runs 8 to 16 weeks, and prior approval on systems above 50 kW, which runs alongside it.
Do I need planning permission?+
Usually not. Most roof-mounted solar on business premises is permitted development. Larger systems can need a prior approval application for design and glare, and listed buildings and some protected areas have extra rules. We check this for you before anything is ordered.
How long does the grid connection take?+
Anything above about 11 kW on a three-phase supply needs the DNO's approval before install. We submit the G99 application for you. Allow 8 to 16 weeks for a typical commercial roof; constrained areas can take longer. We tell you where it is every week.
Is my roof suitable?+
Trapezoidal and standing seam metal roofs are ideal, and most flat and composite roofs are fine. We check the roof structure before install. Asbestos cement roofs are usually a no. The roof guide above covers each type.
What about insurance and fire safety?+
We design to the RC62 fire safety guidance your insurer will ask about, keep the right gaps at fire walls, fit a fire service DC switch and give you the documents to send them. Annual inspections keep the cover valid.
Who installs it and what is guaranteed?+
No1 Solar Care surveys, designs and project-manages the job and looks after the system afterwards. The install is carried out by MCS and NICEIC certified partner teams we work alongside on site. Panels carry a 25-year manufacturer warranty, inverters a manufacturer warranty of typically 10 years, and the workmanship guarantee is set out in writing with your quote.