Commercial solar installers in Kettering

Key facts

Where businesses are in Kettering

• Kettering Venture Park: Distribution location on the southern edge of Kettering next to junction 9 of the A14. Occupiers include RCI Europe, Sterling Press and Winkhaus UK.
• Telford Way Industrial Estate: Kettering's main established industrial estate, directly off junction 7 of the A14, with units from small workshops to a 77,869 sq ft warehouse.
• Pytchley Lodge Industrial Estate: Industrial estate about two miles from the town centre, reached by Orion Way and the A509, about half a mile from junction 9 of the A14.
• Kettering Business Park: Buccleuch Property's commercial development on the north side of the town, mixing offices, light industrial units, a hotel and Northamptonshire Police's northern headquarters.

Large employers and sectors with sites here include:

• Food manufacturing (Weetabix): Weetabix is based on a large site at Burton Latimer, right by Kettering, which its union calls the Weetabix Kettering site.
• Logistics and distribution: Kettering Venture Park by junction 9 of the A14 is marketed as a prime Northamptonshire distribution location.

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

Kettering is served by National Grid Electricity Distribution (East Midlands). 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 Kettering

Kettering follows the national planning rules for England, decided by North Northamptonshire 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 Kettering Conservation Area covers the historic town centre, which keeps its medieval market town street pattern around the Church of St Peter and St Paul. Designated 1982, amended 2007.

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

What a business roof in Kettering could generate

Modelled with PVGIS for the town centre, a south-facing roof at 30 degrees produces about 1,016 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 Kettering 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 North Northamptonshire

At the end of 2025, North Northamptonshire had 11,601 solar PV installations with 184.3 MW of capacity, up 38% since 2020, according to government figures. The North Northamptonshire page has the full local figures and how they compare.

Nearby towns

• Corby, about 7 miles away
• Northampton, about 14 miles away
• Loughborough, about 33 miles away
• Banbury, about 35 miles away

Sources

• en.wikipedia.org: Kettering
• en.wikipedia.org: List of ONS built up areas in England
• business-times.co.uk
• en.wikipedia.org: Weetabix Limited
• usdaw.org.uk: News
• her.northamptonshire.gov.uk: DNN12319
• northnorthants.gov.uk: grants businesses looking reduce carbon emissions launched
• 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.