Commercial solar surveys in the North West

Key facts for commercial solar in the North West

Two network operators

The North West is served by two operators. SP Electricity North West, known as Electricity North West until it joined the Iberdrola and ScottishPower group in 2025, covers Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cumbria. SP Energy Networks covers Merseyside and Cheshire through its Manweb licence area, which also takes in North Wales. The two are now in the same group but run separate licence areas and processes. Boundaries do not follow county lines exactly, especially around the edges of Greater Manchester and Cheshire, so confirm your operator with the Energy Networks Association postcode tool.

The G98 and G99 rules are the same with both: small systems up to 16A per phase notify after installation, while larger systems need G99 approval first. Your installer needs to know which operator applies so they can check the right capacity information and submit to the right team. Our G99 and DNO applications guide explains the process.

Yield in the North West

The North West is cloudier than the south and east, and yields reflect that. In our PVGIS model (version 5.2, SARAH2 data, 14% system losses), a south-facing 1 kWp array at the optimum tilt in Manchester gives about 890 kWh a year, and an east-west layout at 10 degrees about 740 kWh. Carlisle, further north but often less affected by Pennine cloud, gives about 920 kWh for the south-facing case. A low-pitch east-west warehouse array can therefore come in below the 800 kWh per kWp that is often quoted as a minimum for the UK.

That does not rule solar out. Payback depends far more on how much of the output you use on site and your unit rate than on a 10% difference in yield. A factory with steady daytime demand in Manchester can see a better return than a lightly used building in Kent.

Planning and clean air

Planning follows the national rules for England, including the December 2023 widening of permitted development for non-domestic rooftop solar. The Lake District National Park and the Lake District World Heritage Site, the Forest of Bowland and Arnside and Silverdale National Landscapes and part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park are in the region, where conditions are tighter. See our planning permission guide.

Greater Manchester had been directed to introduce a charging Clean Air Zone, but the government approved an investment-led, non-charging plan on 23 January 2025. There is no charge for vehicles to drive anywhere in Greater Manchester. Liverpool has no charging zone either. Fleet electrification here is driven by cost and customer requirements rather than local charges; see EV charging for business.

Buildings and economy that matter for solar

• Trafford Park and Greater Manchester industry. Trafford Park is one of the largest industrial estates in Europe, with manufacturing, food processing and distribution. Greater Manchester's wider ring of industrial estates and mill buildings offers large roofs, some of them old and in need of structural checks.
• Ports and logistics. The Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal, with Port Salford, support distribution along the M62, M6 and M56. See our warehouses page.
• Chemicals and process industry. Cheshire's chemical and process sites around Runcorn, Widnes, Northwich and Ellesmere Port have large, continuous electricity loads.
• Automotive and aerospace. Car plants operate at Halewood, Ellesmere Port and Crewe, and Lancashire has major aerospace sites at Samlesbury and Warton. See our factories page.
• Farming. Cumbria and Lancashire are dominated by dairy and livestock farming, with large sheds and steady milking and cooling loads.

Support and finance

North West businesses use the national schemes for England: capital allowances, the business rates exemption for eligible onsite generation and storage plant to 31 March 2035, and the Smart Export Guarantee. See grants and support in England and confirm tax treatment with your accountant.

Cities with their own page

• Manchester: Trafford Park, city centre buildings and the Greater Manchester network.
• Liverpool: the port, Merseyside industry and SP Energy Networks connections.

How the free survey works in the North West

Send the short form and we will call to understand your site and how you use power. If it looks suitable, we arrange a free survey, in person or virtual, with one MCS certified installer matched to the site. Because northern yields are lower, the installer should model generation for your actual roof and compare it against half-hourly demand, rather than relying on a national average. Your details go to that installer only, and there is no obligation to proceed.