Commercial solar surveys in the West Midlands

Key facts for commercial solar in the West Midlands

The network in the West Midlands

National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED, formerly Western Power Distribution) runs the network across most of the region: Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and most of Shropshire. The north of Shropshire is served by SP Energy Networks through its Manweb licence area. Licence boundaries do not follow county lines exactly, so confirm your operator with the Energy Networks Association postcode tool.

Many West Midlands factories already have large three phase supplies sized for heavy machinery, which can make the connection simpler: the array mostly offsets existing import rather than adding export. Older industrial estates can still sit on constrained local substations, though, so a G99 application is needed for anything above G98 limits, and export may be capped. Our G99 and DNO applications guide covers the process.

Larger manufacturers often take a high voltage supply through their own transformer. That can give more headroom for a big array, but it also means the protection settings, metering and switchgear on your side of the connection need to be reviewed as part of the design, not after it.

Yield in the Midlands

In our PVGIS model (version 5.2, SARAH2 data, 14% system losses), a south-facing 1 kWp array at the optimum tilt in Birmingham gives about 970 kWh a year, and an east-west layout at 10 degrees about 800 kWh. That is a little below southern England but comfortably within the national range. Factory roofs here are often old north-light or profiled metal roofs; the orientation of the roof slopes can matter more than the region.

North-light roofs, common on older Midlands factories, have steep slopes (often glazed) facing north and shallower solid slopes facing roughly south. The south slopes can often take panels at a useful angle, but valley gutters, rooflights and safe access for installation and maintenance all need checking before a layout is agreed.

Planning and the Birmingham Clean Air Zone

Planning follows the national rules for England, including the December 2023 widening of permitted development for non-domestic rooftop solar. The Shropshire Hills, Malvern Hills, Cannock Chase and part of the Cotswolds are National Landscapes, where conditions are tighter. See our planning permission guide.

Birmingham operates a Class D Clean Air Zone covering the area inside the A4540 Middleway ring road. Non-compliant buses, coaches, taxis, HGVs, vans, minibuses and private cars are charged to drive in it. For businesses with vans or HGVs making regular trips into the city centre, the zone is a direct reason to consider electric vehicles, and depot charging during the day can use solar generation on site. See EV charging for business.

Manufacturing, logistics and farming

The West Midlands has a concentrated industrial base:

• Automotive. Jaguar Land Rover has major sites at Solihull and an engine plant at the i54 business park near Wolverhampton, with a large supply chain of component makers across the region.
• Metals and engineering. The Black Country has a long history of foundries, metal pressing, forging and fabrication. Processes such as heat treatment and compressed air give high, steady daytime loads. See our factories page.
• Ceramics. Stoke-on-Trent remains the centre of UK ceramics, an energy-intensive industry that is mostly gas-fired but also uses significant electricity.
• Logistics. Distribution parks along the M6, M42 and M54, such as those near Coleshill and Tamworth, have large roofs and long operating hours. See our warehouses page.
• Farming. Herefordshire and Worcestershire are known for fruit, hops and soft fruit, with cold stores and packhouses, while Shropshire and Staffordshire have more livestock and dairy.

Older industrial buildings in the region often have asbestos cement roofs. An asbestos survey is usually needed before work starts, and the roof may need replacing or overcladding, which changes the project cost.

Support and finance

West Midlands 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

• Birmingham: the Clean Air Zone, city centre buildings and the surrounding industrial estates.

How the free survey works in the West Midlands

You fill in the short form and we call to discuss the building, the processes on site and your electricity bills. If it looks suitable, we arrange a free survey, in person or virtual, with one MCS certified installer matched to the site. For factories, the installer will want half-hourly data so the array can be sized against real production patterns, including shift work and weekend shutdowns. Your details go to that installer only, and there is no obligation to proceed.