Nineteen active schemes mapped — tax reliefs, capital grants, income schemes, interest-free loans, regional funding and charitable sector routes. Each scheme has its own deep-dive page covering eligibility, application process, worked examples, pitfalls and stack-with options.
For at-a-glance comparison. Click any scheme name to read the full guide.
| Scheme | Category | Amount | Status / window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Export Guarantee for businesses | Income scheme | 3p–15p per kWh exported (2026 fixed tariffs) | Ongoing — no closing date |
| Annual Investment Allowance for business solar | Tax relief | Up to £1 million per year, 100% first-year deduction | Permanent (no expiry currently announced) |
| Full expensing and solar PV: why solar cannot use it, and what to claim instead | Tax relief | Not available on solar panels. AIA 100% up to £1m, or the 50% special-rate first-year allowance | Permanent (Autumn Statement, 22 November 2023) — but not available on solar panels |
| Industrial Energy Transformation Fund: closed since July 2025 — what industrial sites use for solar now | Capital grant (closed) | Closed — was 30-50% of project capex; no new awards since the Spring 2024 window | CLOSED — last window shut 19 April 2024; DESNZ confirmed in July 2025 there will be no further extension and no successor fund (checked September 2026) |
| Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS): closed to new bids since November 2024 | Capital grant — closed | No new awards — closed to applications since November 2024 | Phase 4 window closed November 2024; no further phase announced (checked September 2026) |
| The Salix England Recycling Fund closed to new applicants in 2010 and wound up in March 2025 | Interest-free loan — closed | No new loans — closed to new applications since 2010; all funds closed 31 March 2025 | Closed — all funds closed and in repayment from 31 March 2025 |
| Enhanced Capital Allowances ended in April 2020 — what to claim on solar instead | Tax relief | Withdrawn April 2020 — claim AIA or the 50% first-year allowance instead | Closed — no ETL-based allowance on expenditure from April 2020 |
| Regional growth hub grants for business solar | Capital grant | £1,000 – £25,000 typical (match-funded, usually 40-60%) | Varies by region — most schemes run rolling intake |
| Business Wales SME loans for solar PV | Soft loan / regional grant | £10,000 – £250,000 interest-free or low-interest | Rolling intake (subject to fund availability) |
| Scotland SME Loan Scheme — interest-free finance for business solar | Interest-free loan | Up to £100,000 at 0% (longer-term loans available) | Rolling — subject to programme funding availability |
| Invest NI green tech grants for business solar | Capital grant | £10,000 – £750,000 typical project size | Rolling intake |
| Farming Investment Fund for on-farm solar PV: the Improving Farm Productivity grant | Capital grant (agriculture) | 25% of eligible capital under the Improving Farm Productivity (IFP) grant | IFP runs competitive rounds — check the current one on the RPA portal. The FETF strand closed 28 April 2026 |
| Green Heat Network Fund — solar plus heat networks | Capital grant | Up to 50% of capex on qualifying heat network projects | Phased applications — Phase 2 closed; Phase 3 expected 2026 |
| Carbon Trust Green Business Fund — SME energy efficiency support | Advisory + small capital grant | £1,000 – £5,000 typical capital grant (programme-dependent) | Rolling — programme funded annually |
| York & North Yorkshire Business Sustainability Programme | Regional grant | £500 – £14,000 capital grants; free advice on top | Rolling (subject to UKSPF / regional funding) |
| Business Energy Advice Service for West Midlands SMEs | Regional grant + advisory | Up to £100,000 capital grants (match-funded) | Rolling (subject to MCA funding cycles) |
| West of England Green Business Grant — Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare | Regional capital grant | £1,500 – £10,000 (match-funded) | Rolling (subject to programme budget) |
| Charity and faith sector grants for solar PV | Charitable trust grants | £500 – £50,000 typical | Varies by trust (most run annual or quarterly rounds) |
| REGO sales — selling renewable origin certificates from your solar | Income scheme | 0.5p – 2p per kWh of renewable generation (REGO market price) | Ongoing — REGO scheme runs continuously |
Smart Export Guarantee 2026 guide for UK businesses — best export tariffs, eligibility for 50kWp+ systems, how to register, and how to combine SEG wit...
Amount: 3p–15p per kWh exported (2026 fixed tariffs)
Status: Ongoing — no closing date
REGO sales 2026 — how UK commercial solar generators sell Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin certificates above 1MW. Prices, brokers, contracts.
Amount: 0.5p – 2p per kWh of renewable generation (REGO market price)
Status: Ongoing — REGO scheme runs continuously
AIA 2026 guide — how UK businesses claim 100% first-year tax relief on commercial solar PV up to £1m. Eligibility, calculation worked examples, group ...
Amount: Up to £1 million per year, 100% first-year deduction
Status: Permanent (no expiry currently announced)
Solar panels are special-rate plant, so companies cannot claim 100% full expensing on them. HMRC allows the 50% first-year allowance instead — and AIA...
Amount: Not available on solar panels. AIA 100% up to £1m, or the 50% special-rate first-year allowance
Status: Permanent (Autumn Statement, 22 November 2023) — but not available on solar panels
The Energy Technology List route to Enhanced Capital Allowances ended in April 2020. What replaced it for commercial solar: AIA, the 50% first-year al...
Amount: Withdrawn April 2020 — claim AIA or the 50% first-year allowance instead
Status: Closed — no ETL-based allowance on expenditure from April 2020
The IETF closed in July 2025: no Phase 4, no successor fund, last window April 2024. What energy-intensive sites in England, Wales and NI use for sola...
Amount: Closed — was 30-50% of project capex; no new awards since the Spring 2024 window
Status: CLOSED — last window shut 19 April 2024; DESNZ confirmed in July 2025 there will be no further extension and no successor fund (checked September 2026)
The PSDS closed to new applications in November 2024 and no further phase has been announced. What public-sector bodies can use for solar PV instead, ...
Amount: No new awards — closed to applications since November 2024
Status: Phase 4 window closed November 2024; no further phase announced (checked September 2026)
The England Recycling Fund closed to new applicants in 2010 and all funds closed on 31 March 2025. Public-sector solar finance in England, Scotland an...
Amount: No new loans — closed to new applications since 2010; all funds closed 31 March 2025
Status: Closed — all funds closed and in repayment from 31 March 2025
Regional growth hub solar grants 2026 — Greater Manchester, West Midlands, West of England, York and beyond. £1k-£25k match-funded grants for SME sola...
Amount: £1,000 – £25,000 typical (match-funded, usually 40-60%)
Status: Varies by region — most schemes run rolling intake
Invest NI 2026 — grants and loan support for Northern Ireland SMEs investing in solar PV. Sustainable Productivity programme, Energy efficiency capita...
Amount: £10,000 – £750,000 typical project size
Status: Rolling intake
Green Heat Network Fund 2026 — DESNZ capital grants for low-carbon heat networks including solar thermal and solar PV plus heat pump configurations.
Amount: Up to 50% of capex on qualifying heat network projects
Status: Phased applications — Phase 2 closed; Phase 3 expected 2026
Business Wales solar loans 2026 — interest-free or low-interest loans up to £250k for Welsh SMEs. Eligibility, application process, examples for solar...
Amount: £10,000 – £250,000 interest-free or low-interest
Status: Rolling intake (subject to fund availability)
Scotland SME Loan Scheme 2026 — 0% loans up to £100k for Scottish SMEs installing solar PV. Cashback bonus for early adopters. Eligibility and process...
Amount: Up to £100,000 at 0% (longer-term loans available)
Status: Rolling — subject to programme funding availability
How English farms fund solar PV through the Farming Investment Fund in 2026: the Improving Farm Productivity grant at 25% of eligible capital. FETF cl...
Amount: 25% of eligible capital under the Improving Farm Productivity (IFP) grant
Status: IFP runs competitive rounds — check the current one on the RPA portal. The FETF strand closed 28 April 2026
Carbon Trust Green Business Fund 2026 — energy assessments, advice and capital grants for SME decarbonisation including solar PV. Eligibility and proc...
Amount: £1,000 – £5,000 typical capital grant (programme-dependent)
Status: Rolling — programme funded annually
Y&NY Business Sustainability Programme 2026 — free decarbonisation advice and capital grants up to £14k for North Yorkshire SMEs.
Amount: £500 – £14,000 capital grants; free advice on top
Status: Rolling (subject to UKSPF / regional funding)
BEAS West Midlands 2026 — free energy audits and capital grants up to £100,000 for West Midlands SMEs. Manufacturing focus, strong for solar PV.
Amount: Up to £100,000 capital grants (match-funded)
Status: Rolling (subject to MCA funding cycles)
West of England Green Business Grant 2026 — capital grants £1,500-£10,000 for SMEs in Bristol, Bath, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire.
Amount: £1,500 – £10,000 (match-funded)
Status: Rolling (subject to programme budget)
Charity solar grants 2026 — National Lottery, Methodist Insurance, Allchurches Trust, FCO funds. Faith building solar funding routes including faculty...
Amount: £500 – £50,000 typical
Status: Varies by trust (most run annual or quarterly rounds)
Most funding decisions come down to a choice between two routes. These break the trade-off down with worked numbers.
Free 60-second eligibility check maps your sector, size and postcode against all 19 active 2026 schemes. No sales calls. No spam.
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