Commercial solar installers in Consett

Key facts

Where businesses are in Consett

• Number One Industrial Estate: Established industrial estate about 14 miles south west of Newcastle upon Tyne, with about 500,000 sq ft across 86 units; Northern Trust announced an expansion in June 2026. CAV Systems has its headquarters, engineering and manufacturing there.
• Hownsgill Industrial Estate: Industrial estate on the site of the old Consett Steelworks. Go North East opened a £3.5 million, 8,800 square metre bus depot there in March 2019 for 63 vehicles and 180 staff.

Large employers and sectors with sites here include:

• Aerospace (CAV Systems): CAV Systems, part of Loar Group since September 2023, is headquartered in Consett and makes TKS fluid-based ice protection systems for aircraft. A local profile in October 2024 said it employed over 110 people and exported over 90 percent of its products.
• Bus transport (Go North East): Go North East's Consett depot opened in 2019, replacing the company's Stanley depot, and was built for 63 vehicles and 180 team members.

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

Consett is served by Northern Powergrid (Northeast 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 Consett

Consett follows the national planning rules for England, decided by County Durham 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 Blackhill Conservation Area sits on the outskirts of Consett on the hill down to Shotley Bridge. Durham County Council describes its late Victorian buildings as particularly high quality and relatively unchanged, so roofs there need more care.

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

What a business roof in Consett could generate

Modelled with PVGIS for the town centre, a south-facing roof at 30 degrees produces about 930 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 Consett 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 County Durham

At the end of 2025, County Durham had 16,892 solar PV installations with 92.7 MW of capacity, up 73% since 2020, according to government figures. The County Durham page has the full local figures and how they compare.

Nearby towns

• Gateshead, about 12 miles away
• Washington, Tyne and Wear, about 12 miles away
• Hexham, about 14 miles away
• Bishop Auckland, about 14 miles away

Sources

• ons.gov.uk: census2021
• ons.gov.uk: datadownload.xlsx
• placenortheast.co.uk: northern trust expands number one industrial estate in
• consettmagazine.com: cav systems is flying high
• cav-systems.com: about
• mynewsdesk.com: go north east unveils new ps3 dot 5m
• northeast-ca.gov.uk: north east enterprise zones
• northeast-ca.gov.uk: north east investment zone
• durham.gov.uk: Blackhill Conservation Area
• 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.