Commercial solar installers in Stevenage

Key facts

Where businesses are in Stevenage

• Gunnels Wood: One of the original New Town employment areas and the largest in Stevenage. The council's 2013 employment study found nearly 80% of the town's employment land was there.
• Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst: A science campus with laboratories and shared business facilities for cell and gene technology companies, from start ups to major organisations, located within the golden triangle of London, Cambridge and Oxford.

Large employers and sectors with sites here include:

• Space and defence (Airbus): In February 2025 the government signed a £127 million contract with Airbus for the Oberon radar satellite system, supporting around 200 skilled jobs in Stevenage and Portsmouth, with launch expected in 2027.
• Cell and gene therapy: Companies on the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst campus employ over 4,000 people, and it is home to the Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Catapult, LifeArc and Cytiva alongside start ups that have raised over £4bn.

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

Stevenage is served by UK Power Networks (Eastern Power Networks 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 Stevenage

Stevenage follows the national planning rules for England, decided by Stevenage 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:

• Old Town High Street Conservation Area covers about 26.9 hectares and holds 87 listed buildings, five of them Grade II*, so roofs in the Old Town need more care.

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

What a business roof in Stevenage could generate

Modelled with PVGIS for the town centre, a south-facing roof at 30 degrees produces about 1,015 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 Stevenage 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 Stevenage

At the end of 2025, Stevenage had 1,955 solar PV installations with 9.4 MW of capacity, up 214% since 2020, according to government figures. The Stevenage page has the full local figures and how they compare.

Nearby towns

• Hatfield, about 10 miles away
• Dunstable, about 14 miles away
• Hemel Hempstead, about 16 miles away
• Bishop's Stortford, about 16 miles away

Sources

• ons.gov.uk: census2021
• ons.gov.uk: datadownload.xlsx
• en.wikipedia.org: Stevenage
• stevenage.gov.uk: stevenage employment and economy baseline study
• stevenagecatalyst.com
• gov.uk: new satellite deal to boost military operations jobs
• gov.uk: enterprise zones
• gov.uk: freeports
• gov.uk: investment zones in england
• heritagecheck.co.uk: old town high street
• 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.