Commercial solar surveys in Scotland

Key facts for commercial solar in Scotland

Two network operators

SP Energy Networks runs the distribution network across central and southern Scotland, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) runs the north of Scotland network, broadly from Tayside and Argyll northwards: Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen, the Highlands and the islands. Licence boundaries do not follow council boundaries exactly, so confirm your operator with the Energy Networks Association postcode tool.

G98 and G99 apply in Scotland just as they do in England and Wales: small systems up to 16A per phase notify after installation, while larger systems need G99 approval before connecting. The difference is the network. Much of the north is served by long rural lines and island networks with limited capacity, and parts of Scotland already host a lot of renewable generation, so export capacity can be tight. Designing around on-site use, an export limitation scheme under G100 or a battery is common. See our G99 and DNO applications guide.

What Scottish roofs produce

Scotland's yields are the lowest in Great Britain, but they vary a lot from place to place. In our PVGIS model (version 5.2, SARAH2 data, 14% system losses), a south-facing 1 kWp array at the optimum tilt gives about:

The east coast is noticeably sunnier than the west. Long summer days help, but winter output is very low. Flat roof east-west layouts in Scotland can fall well below 800 kWh per kWp, so a south-facing tilted layout may be worth the extra ballast or framing. All figures are indicative; a survey models your roof.

Planning in Scotland

Scotland has a separate planning system. National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), adopted in February 2023, is the national planning policy and gives significant weight to the climate emergency and to renewable energy development. Local development plans sit alongside it.

Permitted development for non-domestic solar is set by the Scottish permitted development order, not the English rules. Changes that came into force in 2024 removed the previous 50 kW cap on rooftop solar on non-domestic buildings, so most rooftop systems no longer need planning permission, subject to conditions. Listed buildings and World Heritage Sites, such as Edinburgh's Old and New Towns, are excluded, and conservation areas have restrictions on roof slopes facing a road. Our planning permission guide covers the general principles.

TODO for the site owner: Confirm the current Scottish permitted development conditions for non-domestic rooftop solar (height above a flat roof, conservation area rules, ground-mounted limits) against the latest consolidated order on legislation.gov.uk.

Building warrants, which are separate from planning, may also be needed for some installations in Scotland, particularly where the roof structure is altered.

Low emission zones

Scotland's four city low emission zones are all enforced: Glasgow from 1 June 2023, and Dundee, Aberdeen and Edinburgh from mid-2024. Unlike most English clean air zones, they set minimum standards for private cars as well as commercial vehicles, and non-compliant vehicles face penalty charges rather than a daily fee. Fully electric vehicles are not restricted. For businesses running vans or lorries into these city centres, the zones strengthen the case for electric vehicles and on-site charging. See EV charging for business.

Business rates and support

Scotland's non-domestic rates are set by the Scottish Government. Eligible plant and machinery used for on-site renewable generation and storage, such as rooftop solar panels, is exempt from rating from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2035. Scotland also has a separate Renewable Energy Generation Relief for schemes with community ownership. The Smart Export Guarantee applies in Scotland as in the rest of Great Britain. For loans and advice schemes, see grants and support in Scotland, and confirm tax and rates treatment with your accountant and your local assessor.

Scotland's commercial buildings

• Food and drink. Whisky distilleries in Speyside, Islay and elsewhere, fish processing at Peterhead and in the north east, and meat and dairy processing run large daytime loads.
• Farming. Arable farming in the east (Fife, Angus, the Lothians and Aberdeenshire) and livestock in the south and west mean grain stores, cattle sheds and potato stores with large roofs. See our farms page.
• Energy and engineering. Aberdeen's energy sector, and the industrial sites around Grangemouth and the Forth, include large workshops and warehouses.
• Logistics and manufacturing. The central belt along the M8, M73 and M80 is Scotland's main distribution corridor, with large warehouses near Glasgow, Livingston and Bathgate.

Cities with their own page

• Glasgow: the first Scottish low emission zone and the west of Scotland's industrial estates.
• Edinburgh: World Heritage Site constraints, offices and the Lothians.
• Aberdeen: the energy sector, SSEN connections and the north east.

How the free survey works in Scotland

Send the short form and we will call to understand your site and use. If it looks suitable, we arrange a free survey with one MCS certified installer matched to the site, ideally one familiar with the relevant operator and Scottish planning rules. For remote Highland and island sites, a virtual assessment using aerial imagery and meter data is often the sensible first step before anyone travels. Your details go to that installer only, and you are under no obligation to proceed.