The independent UK directory of solar grants, tax reliefs and finance for commercial property. We map every active 2026 scheme — SEG, AIA, 100% Full Expensing, IETF, PSDS, Salix, regional growth hubs — to your sector, size and postcode. No installer agenda. No manufacturer commission.
Tell us your business — we map every active 2026 grant to your sector, size and postcode.
Most businesses miss out by hunting one obscure scheme when the real win is stacking a tax relief, an export tariff and a regional grant on the same project. Here's the full 2026 map.
Reduce corporation tax in year one.
Get paid for the electricity you export.
Match-funded cash from public bodies.
Devolved nations & growth hubs run smaller pots.
Targeted schemes for particular industries.
When grants & tax relief aren't enough.
We don't sell installations. We don't take installer commission. We are paid a flat referral fee by our MCS-accredited partner network — agreed in advance, identical across partners. So our job is to map the funding correctly the first time.
Tell us your sector, annual electricity spend, property type and postcode. Our matching engine returns every active grant, tax relief and finance route you qualify for — usually 3 to 6 schemes that can stack on a single project.
A real human (UK-based, no offshore call centre) sends a 2-page PDF: indicative system size, capex range, year-one tax relief value, projected SEG revenue, payback maths under three scenarios. No phone harassment.
If — and only if — you decide to proceed, we connect you to 1-2 MCS-accredited installer partners with proven sector experience in your region. You choose; we step back. Quote acceptance rate across our network: 38%.
Ten UK commercial sectors — each page covers eligibility, average system size, payback, and the highest-value scheme stack for that industry.
Heavy-load rooftops, IETF candidates, three-phase G99 connections.
Largest available roof spans — 500kWp to 5MW systems with battery stacking.
Restaurant + room load profile favours self-consumption. AIA hero scheme.
Daytime load profile, ESG-driven boards, simpler installs on flat roofs.
Barn roofs, ground-mount, livestock load patterns, FIF and rural grants.
Multi-site rollouts, refrigeration load, REGO trading at scale.
PSDS + Salix — capital grant + interest-free loan combination.
NHS Energy Efficiency Fund, PSDS, resilience requirements for critical sites.
Long-occupation buildings, predictable load, charity-specific funding routes.
Faculty jurisdiction, conservation issues, Methodist Eco Grants.
Most commercial solar marketing pushes whichever option pays the installer the most commission. We don't. Here's the trade-off table the broker community doesn't want you to see.
| Route | Upfront | Tax relief | Balance sheet | End of term | Net IRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash purchase | 100% capex | Full AIA / FYA yr 1 | Asset on BS | You own day one | 14–22% |
| Asset finance / HP | 0-20% deposit | Full AIA / FYA yr 1 | Liability + asset | You own at end of term | 9–14% |
| Operating lease | £0 | Lease is revenue expense | Off-BS (IFRS 16 limits) | Reverts to financier or buy at FMV | 7–11% |
| Power Purchase Agreement | £0 | None (buying electricity, not asset) | Off-BS (operating) | Reverts to you (often £1) | 6–9% |
Cash purchase delivers the highest internal rate of return — full stop. But it ties up capex that might earn 15%+ in your core business. The right answer depends on your cost of capital, tax position and whether the project sits inside an asset-rich or asset-light company. Read the full finance decision framework.
Our eligibility engine maps your sector, electricity spend, property type and postcode against every active 2026 scheme. Get a personalised shortlist in under 60 seconds — you choose whether to leave your details.
Anonymised — names and exact figures changed; scheme matches and order-of-magnitude figures are real.
Each city page covers the active regional schemes that apply on that postcode — growth hub micro-grants, devolved-nation funding, council partnerships and DNO-specific constraints. Updated quarterly.
This is an editorial advisory and lead-matching service operated by SEO Dons Ltd. We are not an FCA-authorised broker. We are not a solar installer. We do not take commissions from panel or inverter manufacturers. When you proceed, we earn a flat referral fee from our MCS-accredited installer partners — agreed in advance, identical across partners, and disclosed to you in writing before any quote.
That structure matters. It means our job is to map your funding correctly, not to push the project that pays us the most. If the right answer for you is "do nothing this year" — for instance, because your roof needs replacing first, your half-hourly data quality is too poor to size the system, or your G99 export limit makes a 50kWp system more economic than a 100kWp — that's what we'll tell you.
We publish every scheme we cover with its statutory or regulatory source. Every grant deadline, eligibility threshold, tariff rate or tax allowance on this site links out to gov.uk, ofgem.gov.uk, the relevant devolved administration, or the scheme's published guidance. Where rates change frequently (SEG tariffs especially), we date-stamp the page and re-check monthly. Read the full editorial policy.
Yes, but most business solar 'grants' in 2026 are a combination of tax reliefs and capital schemes rather than cash hand-outs. The headline routes are 100% Full Expensing (saves 25p in the £ on installation cost for limited companies), AIA (up to £1m in year one for all UK businesses), and Smart Export Guarantee (3p-15p per kWh exported). Capital grants exist for public sector (PSDS) and energy-intensive industry (IETF), and regional growth hubs offer £1k-£25k match-funded grants.
True 'free' commercial solar in 2026 typically means a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) — a third-party investor pays for the system and sells you the electricity at a fixed discount to grid rates for 15-25 years. You pay nothing upfront. It is a finance product, not a grant. For genuinely subsidised installations, SMEs with high energy spend may qualify for the IETF in England, or Business Wales / Scotland SME Loan in those nations.
Under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), Ofgem-licensed suppliers must pay you per kWh exported. For a typical 100kWp commercial system exporting around 35-40% of generation, current 2026 tariffs translate to £900-£3,500 per year. Best fixed SEG rates in 2026 are around 15p/kWh; the regulatory floor is around 3p/kWh. We track current rates on our SEG page, updated monthly.
It depends on the scheme. The Smart Export Guarantee requires MCS certification (or Solar Keymark equivalent) for systems up to 50kWp; above 50kWp, Ofgem accepts engineering sign-off. The AIA and Full Expensing have no MCS requirement. PSDS and IETF typically require MCS for the PV element.
Yes. Commercial solar installations are standard-rated at 20% VAT — the 0% rate on energy-saving materials applies to dwellings (until 31 March 2027), not to commercial property. The important point is that VAT-registered businesses can normally reclaim that VAT as input tax, so for most companies it is a cash-flow timing issue rather than a real cost. Qualifying charity-owned buildings pay the 5% reduced rate, and B2B installation services can fall under the construction reverse charge. Full breakdown on our VAT on solar panels page.
Grants are non-repayable awards (typically match-funded) from public bodies or growth hubs. Tax reliefs reduce your corporation tax bill — only valuable if you are paying tax. Finance products (PPA, operating lease, hire purchase, asset finance) spread the cost over 5-25 years and create a balance sheet obligation. Most businesses end up using a combination: AIA or Full Expensing on the install, SEG on the export, and finance to spread the upfront cash.
Yes, several. Energy-intensive industries (factories, food processing, chemicals, paper) can apply to the IETF for 30-50% of capex. Farms can use rural development grants and the Farming Investment Fund (DEFRA). Hotels rely on AIA / Full Expensing because hospitality margins make tax relief the most valuable route. See our sectors hub for a sector-by-sector breakdown.
AIA and Full Expensing are claimed automatically through your corporation tax return — no application. The SEG is a supplier registration completing within 4-6 weeks of commissioning. PSDS and IETF have formal application windows and take 3-6 months. Regional growth hub grants tend to take 8-12 weeks.
For a 100kWp commercial rooftop system costing roughly £80,000-£105,000 installed (2026 prices), payback after AIA or Full Expensing drops from 7-9 years to 4-6 years. With a regional capital grant of 30%, payback compresses to 3-4 years. Internal Rate of Return over 25 years sits between 12% and 22% depending on usage profile and grant stack. See our cost & payback page.
60-second eligibility check. No installer harassment. No spam. Just the funding routes that actually apply to your business.
Start free eligibility check Or call 0800 246 1132Public-sector bodies can fund car-park canopies through PSDS and Salix — this specialist canopy resource explains the routes for schools, NHS trusts and councils.
For the full open-versus-closed picture in 2026 it is worth reading an independent commercial solar grants and incentives guide rather than relying on scheme pages that are often out of date.
Lanarkshire businesses around Hamilton and the wider ML postcodes can combine available funding with finance to stay cash-flow neutral, so when scoping solar panels Hamilton check scheme eligibility windows before assuming a grant applies.