Commercial solar installers in Penrith

Key facts

Where businesses are in Penrith

• Gilwilly Industrial Estate and Eden Business Park: The key employment area to the north of Penrith. The Eden Local Plan 2014 to 2032 allocates an 11.91 hectare extension to the Gilwilly estate, and at 31 March 2025 the council recorded development ongoing on Eden Business Park Phase 2, with 2.2 hectares left.
• Skirsgill: A 3.29 hectare employment allocation beside the Skirsgill depot, south of the A66, which the council recorded as still vacant at 31 March 2025.

Large employers and sectors with sites here include:

• Agricultural auctions and land agency (Penrith Farmers' & Kidd's): PFK, founded in 1876, has its head office at Agricultural Hall, Skirsgill, covers six areas from three linked offices and marks 150 years in 2026.
• Holiday parks (Center Parcs Whinfell Forest): Whinfell Forest, south east of Penrith, holds the largest of Center Parcs' five UK holiday villages, with 861 units sleeping 4,668 people.

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

Penrith is served by Electricity North West (North West 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 Penrith

Penrith follows the national planning rules for England, decided by Westmorland and Furness 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 Penrith Conservation Area, designated in 1975, covers about 35.4 hectares and holds 136 listed buildings, three of them Grade I including the parish church of St Andrew, so roofs in the town centre need more care.

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

What a business roof in Penrith could generate

Modelled with PVGIS for the town centre, a south-facing roof at 30 degrees produces about 896 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 Penrith 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 Westmorland and Furness

At the end of 2025, Westmorland and Furness had 9,791 solar PV installations with 78.7 MW of capacity, up 72% since 2020, according to government figures. The Westmorland and Furness page has the full local figures and how they compare.

Nearby towns

• Carlisle, about 17 miles away
• Kendal, about 23 miles away
• Workington, about 32 miles away
• Hexham, about 34 miles away

Sources

• ons.gov.uk: census2021
• ons.gov.uk: datadownload.xlsx
• eden.gov.uk: edenlocalplan2014 2032finalwithoutforeword
• westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk: Local Plan Employment Sites Status 31st March 2025
• pfk.co.uk
• en.wikipedia.org: Whinfell Forest
• heritagecheck.co.uk: penrith
• gov.uk: enterprise zones
• gov.uk: investment zones in england
• gov.uk: maps of uk freeports
• 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.