Commercial solar surveys in Birmingham

Key facts

Grid connection with National Grid Electricity Distribution

Birmingham sits in the West Midlands licence area of National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED), which owns the local wires and substations. Any system above the G98 limits (about 3.68 kW single phase or 11.04 kW three phase) needs G99 approval from NGED before it is switched on, and that covers almost every commercial roof. Licence boundaries do not always follow council boundaries, so confirm the operator for your postcode with the Energy Networks Association postcode tool.

For a Birmingham site the G99 question is usually how much export the local network can take. Export headroom varies from one substation to the next, so it is worth checking early. Where export is limited, a G100 export limitation scheme can let a larger array connect while capping what flows back to the grid. Our page on G99 and DNO applications explains the stages and what the installer submits.

Planning: Birmingham City Council and its neighbours

Birmingham City Council decides most applications in the city, but several of the area's largest employment sites sit just over the boundary. Birmingham Business Park, the NEC and Birmingham Airport are in Solihull, so Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is the planning authority there. Hams Hall Distribution Park near Coleshill falls to North Warwickshire Borough Council.

In England, permitted development rights for non-domestic rooftop solar were widened in December 2023, including removal of the previous 1 MW limit. Conditions still apply, such as how far panels may project above a flat roof, and the rules are tighter for listed buildings and conservation areas. That matters here: the Jewellery Quarter is a conservation area with a large number of listed workshops and factories. Our planning permission guide sets out the conditions.

Where solar fits the local economy

Birmingham's economy mixes engineering and automotive supply chains, logistics, food production and a large professional services, health and education base. The roofs that tend to work best are:

• Engineering and metalworking premises in Tyseley, Aston and Witton, where daytime machinery loads line up with solar output. Tyseley Energy Park, on the Webster and Horsfall site, anchors the city's Energy Innovation Zone.
• Distribution sheds along the M6 and M42 corridors, including Hams Hall and the sites around the airport, which have large, simple roofs.
• Hospitals, universities and offices with steady weekday demand.

The Clean Air Zone, fleets and charging

Birmingham's Clean Air Zone has operated since June 2021 and covers all roads inside the A4540 Middleway, but not the Middleway itself. As a Class D zone it charges non-compliant cars, taxis and vans as well as HGVs, buses and coaches. At the time of writing the published daily charges are £8 for cars, taxis and vans and £50 for HGVs, buses and coaches; check the council's Brum Breathes site for current rates and exemptions.

If your vans enter the zone regularly, switching to electric removes the charge, and charging them from your own roof during the working day uses solar power that would otherwise be exported at a lower rate. Our page on EV charging for business covers depot and workplace charging, which the survey can size alongside the array.

Roofs and buildings in Birmingham

• Victorian and Edwardian workshops in the Jewellery Quarter and Digbeth, often with slate pitched roofs, decorative frontages and conservation constraints. Rear and inner roof slopes are usually the starting point.
• 1960s to 1980s industrial units across east and north Birmingham, many with asbestos cement sheet roofs. These need an asbestos survey and a decision on overcladding or replacement first; see asbestos roofs.
• Modern steel-framed sheds with profiled metal roofs, usually the simplest and cheapest to fit.

Expected generation

At Birmingham's latitude a well-oriented commercial array typically produces about 850 to 950 kWh per kWp a year (indicative). The European Commission's PVGIS model gives close to 970 kWh per kWp for an ideally angled, south-facing array with standard losses, and nearer 780 for a low-pitch east-west layout on a flat roof, which fits more panels but yields less per panel.

How the free survey works in Birmingham

Fill in the short form and we review your enquiry, then call to understand the building, your energy use and your goals. If the site looks suitable we arrange a free survey with one MCS certified installer matched to it, and your details go to that installer only. The survey can be in person or virtual, and for a site inside the Clean Air Zone it can cover vehicle charging as well as the roof. There is no obligation to proceed. For the wider region see our West Midlands page.