Commercial solar installers in Carlisle

Key facts

Where businesses are in Carlisle

• Kingmoor Park: Business estate about 2.5 miles north of the city centre next to junction 44 of the M6, with 96 businesses, around 3,100 jobs, over 2 million sq ft of space and over 140 acres of development land.
• Kingstown Industrial Estate: The city's largest industrial estate, just off the A7 near the M6, about 3.5 km north of the centre.
• Durranhill Industrial Estate: Industrial estate in the Harraby area, about 2 km south east of the centre.
• Rosehill Industrial Estate: Industrial estate about 2.5 km east of the city centre.

Large employers and sectors with sites here include:

• Logistics and distribution: DPD and UPS at Kingmoor Park, alongside Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Story Homes and Thomas Graham.
• Biscuit manufacturing: the McVitie's factory at Caldewgate.

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.

Enterprise, investment and freeport zones

• Carlisle Kingmoor Park Enterprise Zone

These zones can bring business rates relief or enhanced capital allowances for eligible firms on qualifying sites; check the current terms with the zone before relying on them.

Grid connection

Carlisle is served by Electricity North West. 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 Carlisle

Carlisle follows the national planning rules for England, decided by Cumberland council. Rooftop solar on most non-domestic buildings is permitted development, within height and edge limits, and systems above 50 kW need a prior approval application covering design and glare.

Points that come up locally:

• The Carlisle City Centre conservation area covers the centre.
• Solway Coast National Landscape lies within about 5 km of the city.

Our guides on listed buildings and conservation areas, national parks and National Landscapes explain what these mean for a solar project.

What a business roof in Carlisle could generate

Modelled with PVGIS for the town centre, a south-facing roof at 30 degrees produces about 905 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

We found no council or regional grant for business solar open in Carlisle at the time of writing (November 2026). National reliefs still apply, such as capital allowances and, in England, the business rates exemption for onsite renewables: see grants and reliefs in England.

Solar across Cumberland

At the end of 2025, Cumberland had 8,150 solar PV installations with 86.0 MW of capacity, up 35% since 2020, according to government figures. The Cumberland page has the full local figures and how they compare.

Nearby towns

• Cramlington, about 55 miles away
• Washington, Tyne and Wear, about 55 miles away
• Newton Aycliffe, about 57 miles away
• Livingston, about 72 miles away

Sources

• citypopulation.de: E06000063 cumberland
• kingmoorpark.co.uk
• en.wikipedia.org: Carlisle
• openstreetmap.org
• openstreetmap.org
• openstreetmap.org
• openstreetmap.org
• gov.uk: enterprise zones
• planning.data.gov.uk
• planning.data.gov.uk
• 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.