Factories and manufacturing

Solar Panels for Factories and Manufacturing

Free site survey

Step 1 of 2

A factory that runs through the working day uses electricity at the same time solar panels make it. Book a free factory solar survey: we check the site is suitable, then match you with one MCS certified installer who surveys it and gives you a proposal.

Free site survey: we match you with one MCS certified installer who covers your area and the size of the job. Your details go to that installer only, so you're not passed around or ring-rounded.

Free survey, no obligation
Manufacturing, processing and industrial units
Sized from your own half-hourly data
One MCS certified installer that covers your area

Why it suits solar

130+ UK installers
MCS certified only
Free survey, no obligation
One installer, not a list of callers

Why factories suit solar panels

Solar panels make electricity in daylight. The more of it a site uses as it is made, the more it saves, and manufacturing sites often have steady daytime demand.

Machinery in the working day

Production lines, CNC machines, presses and tools run during day shifts, when panels generate.

Compressed air

Compressors are often a large load, and many run for much of the working day.

Process heating and cooling

Electric ovens, curing, chillers and refrigeration in food and drink production add to daytime demand.

Ventilation, extraction and lighting

Extraction, air handling and high-bay lighting run whenever the factory floor is working.

Multiple shifts

Sites that work long days, double shifts or weekends use more of the output across the week.

Large industrial roofs

Factory and unit roofs often have the area for a large system, subject to the structural check.

What the survey checks on a factory

Before the visit, we ask about ownership or the lease, your energy spend, the roof and your supply. At the survey, the installer looks at the detail.

Half-hourly demand

Half-hourly data shows the base load, the daytime peaks, shift patterns and shutdowns, which decide the right size of system.

Roof load and structure

Whether the roof can carry the panels and fixings, often with a structural check, and its condition and remaining life.

Fire safety and insurance

Where the panels, cabling and inverters go, fire safety in the design, and what your insurer will want to see.

Supply and grid connection

The existing supply and switchgear, and what the network operator will allow the system to connect and export.

Safe working on site

Roof access, fragile rooflights and how the work fits around production without stopping it.

Ownership or lease

Whether you own the building, or the landlord is willing to agree to an installation.

Before you start: factory solar questions

Your half-hourly data is the starting point. If your supply is half-hourly metered, your supplier can usually provide the data. It shows exactly when the factory uses power, which tells the installer how much of a system's output you would use rather than export.

Production keeps running. Installers plan roof work and the final connection around your shifts. The connection to your switchboard usually needs a short planned power outage, which can be scheduled for a shutdown or a weekend.

Ask about export and the grid early. If the network operator limits export, the system may need export limitation, a battery, or a different size. The installer tells you once they have checked.

Tax relief may help. Solar panels are plant and machinery for capital allowances, and a company buying a system may be able to claim relief against its profits. Our solar grants and tax relief guide sets out the rules from HMRC, and the cost guide explains what goes into the price.

Matching

How we choose your installer

We match you with one of 130+ MCS certified installers across the UK, and only those who pass our checks.

1
We talk to you about the site and how the business uses electricity.
2
Installers who cover your area see the project without your name or contact details.
3
Our team picks the one best placed for it, by area, the size of the job and MCS certification.
4
Only that installer gets your details, and they book the survey with you.
5
Not right for you? Tell us.

What we check before we match you

MCS certification: current, and on the MCS installer register.
Other accreditations they hold, for example NICEIC or NAPIT, RECC and TrustMark. We favour installers with more relevant accreditations.
Their customer reviews on public review sites.
How long they have been trading, and that the company is active at Companies House with its accounts filed.
Stability: no frequent changes of directors in recent years.
That they cover your area and do jobs of your size.

If an installer doesn't meet these, we don't match them.

Four steps

How it works

Four steps from a short call to a survey at your site.

1
Book a call
Fill in the short form. A member of our UK team calls you to ask about the site and how the business uses electricity.
2
We check it's a fit
Ownership or landlord consent, your energy spend, the roof or land and your electricity supply, so nobody's time is wasted.
3
Matched with one installer
Installers who cover your area see the project without your name or contact details. Our team picks the one best placed for it, and only they get your details.
4
Your free site survey
The installer visits at a time that suits you, looks at the site and gives you their proposal. Whether you go ahead is up to you.

What it costs

The survey is free. Your business pays nothing for the call or the site survey, and there is no obligation to go ahead. If you choose to install, you agree the price and terms directly with the installer.

The cost of a system depends on its size, the roof or land and the electricity connection. Our guide to what commercial solar panels cost explains what sets the price, with the government's published cost data and two worked examples. For tax relief and funding, see solar panel grants for businesses.

Questions

Solar panels for factories: FAQs

Are solar panels worth it for a factory?

For many manufacturers, the case rests on daytime demand. A factory that runs machinery, compressors and processes while the sun is up can use most of what the panels make, and each unit used on site saves the full price of buying it. The installer works it out from your half-hourly data at the survey.

Can solar panels run our machinery?

The panels feed the site's electrical system, so whatever is running uses their output first and the grid supplies the rest. They don't replace the grid supply; they reduce how much you buy from it while they generate.

What about fire safety and insurance?

Tell your insurer before you install. Insurers often ask about the system's design, where the equipment goes and how it will be maintained. The installer should design to current fire safety guidance for rooftop solar and give you the documents your insurer asks for.

Do we need approval from the network operator?

Larger systems need the local network operator's approval before they connect, and the network can limit how much you export. Factories often have a larger supply already, but the installer still checks what the network will allow and usually makes the application.

What if we shut down for a holiday period?

During shutdowns the panels keep generating, and with little load on site more of the output is exported at the lower export rate. The installer allows for shutdowns, shift patterns and weekends when sizing the system.

Is the factory survey free?

Yes. The survey costs your business nothing and there is no obligation to go ahead. If you install, you agree the price and terms directly with the installer.

Book a free factory solar survey

Tell us about the business and the site. We'll call to go through the checks, then arrange the survey with one MCS certified installer that covers your area.

Free to your business
No obligation
Your details go to one installer only

Book my free site survey

Free, no obligation