Commercial solar installers in Arbroath

Key facts

Where businesses are in Arbroath

• Elliot Industrial Estate: One of Arbroath's two main industrial estates; Angus Council's 2020 employment land analysis noted the refurbishment and sub-division of a 106,000 sq ft former factory on Peasiehill Road there and new starter units let in 2019.
• Kirkton Industrial Estate: Arbroath's other main industrial estate, which Angus Council's 2020 analysis listed alongside Elliot and noted includes the Arbroath Enterprise Park offices.

Large employers and sectors with sites here include:

• Food manufacturing (Mackays): Mackays, which moved from Carnoustie to a larger facility in Arbroath in 2008, employs more than 125 people and in 2025 was the No. 1 marmalade brand in Scotland and the UK's second-largest marmalade brand.
• Fish smoking (Arbroath Smokies): Arbroath Smokies are a protected food name with PGI status, first registered in 2004, and must be made in a coastal corridor within 8 kilometres of Arbroath Town House.

Large, simple roofs on distribution sheds and modern industrial units are usually the quickest and cheapest to fit. Older mill, factory and workshop buildings can work well too, but often need a structural survey first, and roofs from before 2000 may contain asbestos cement: see asbestos roofs.

Grid connection

Arbroath is served by SSEN Distribution (Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution, North of Scotland licence area). Almost every commercial system needs G99 approval from the network operator before it is switched on, and the question is usually how much the local network can take back. Where export is limited, a G100 export limitation scheme can let a larger array connect. See G99 and DNO applications.

Planning in Arbroath

Planning in Arbroath is decided by Angus council under Scotland's own system. Non-domestic rooftop solar is often permitted development under the Scottish rules, but not on listed buildings, in National Scenic Areas or within 3 km of an aerodrome.

Points that come up locally:

• Arbroath has three conservation areas: Abbey to Harbour (about 34.4 hectares), Keptie Pond (about 16.1 hectares) and West Port (about 1.9 hectares), so check whether a building is inside one before planning roof panels in the centre.

Our guides on listed buildings and conservation areas explain what these mean for a solar project.

What a business roof in Arbroath could generate

Modelled with PVGIS for the town centre, a south-facing roof at 30 degrees produces about 941 kWh per kWp a year.

Illustrative, not a quote: the same sums as our commercial solar calculator. A company paying corporation tax can usually shorten the payback with capital allowances.

Funding and support

• Business Energy Scotland SME Loan: Interest-free loans of £1,000 to £130,000. Cashback of 75% of eligible costs, up to £20,000 for energy efficiency measures and up to £10,000 for heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal, with a maximum of £30,000 per business. Applications are processed on a rolling basis all year round, subject to loan funds. The page says the scheme is not accepting new applications for solar PV projects. Check the scheme's own page for eligibility and closing dates.

National reliefs apply too: see grants and reliefs in Scotland.

Solar across Angus

At the end of 2025, Angus had 6,026 solar PV installations with 62.2 MW of capacity, up 42% since 2020, according to government figures. The Angus page has the full local figures and how they compare.

Nearby towns

• Montrose, about 11 miles away
• Forfar, about 13 miles away
• Cupar, about 24 miles away
• Blairgowrie, about 29 miles away

Sources

• citypopulation.de: S52000024 arbroath
• en.wikipedia.org: Arbroath
• angus.gov.uk: 102 App3
• investinangus.com: mackays named fastest growing marmalade brand in uk
• gov.uk: arbroath smokies
• assets.publishing.service.gov.uk: pfn arbroath smokies
• revenue.scot: designation forth green freeport tax sites
• revenue.scot: designation inverness cromarty green freeport tax
• gov.uk: maps of north east scotland investment zone tax
• heritagecheck.co.uk: arbroath abbey to harbour
• heritagecheck.co.uk: arbroath keptie pond
• heritagecheck.co.uk: arbroath west port
• businessenergyscotland.org: sme loan
• Yield: PVGIS 5.3 (European Commission Joint Research Centre), SARAH3 data, 14% system losses, for the town centre, modelled 4 November 2026.
• Council area figures: DESNZ, renewable electricity by local authority 2014 to 2025.