Commercial solar carports installation for UK businesses and public sector sites

Cornerstone Group designs, builds, installs and commissions commercial solar carports for UK businesses, councils, universities, hospitals and industrial sites. Start generating renewable energy from space you already own, and integrate EV charging that’s ready to scale with your fleet. All with a single contractor handling groundworks, structure, electrics and grid connection.

Book a site feasibility visit to see what your car park could generate.

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What is a commercial solar carport?

Commercial solar carport systems are a structural canopy built over an existing car park, with solar PV panels mounted to the roof. They generate low-carbon renewable energy, as well as sheltering vehicles from rain, hail, snow and UV.

Your car park is one of the most viable locations for solar panels. Your building’s roof might not have capacity or be suitable, but the average mid-sized car park can fit a 250 to 500 kWp array, without losing any bays.

Solar carports are wired into your existing electrical infrastructure ready for you to use the energy you produce, or you could potentially increase revenue by selling excess energy back to the grid.

Pair your carport with battery storage and EV charging and you could create a cost saving, revenue generating energy asset.

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How much does a commercial solar carport cost?

Pricing for solar carports is set based on your project specifications. A small carport on a straightforward site costs proportionally more per kWp than a larger installation. Contact us for a quote.

The factors that impact the price on a commercial solar carport project are:

Size of the array in kWp. Larger systems have better economies of scale.
Structural material. Steel is the standard material but some options include timber and aluminium.
Foundation type. Piled foundations cost more than ballast, which you need will depend on the ground conditions.

Grid connection works. If the local network needs reinforcement to integrate your export, your costs can rise.
EV charging specification. The number, charging speed and load balancing of your chosen chargers can affect the electrical designs.
Battery storage specification. This is optional but is worth modelling alongside the initial carport rather than trying to retrofit it later.

Finding is available for most UK commercial solar carports including CAPEX, lease to own and a green loan.

We’ll be able to advise you on the best finding option for you during your initial consultation.

Benefits of a commercial solar carport

Generate clean electricity from dead space

Carports are a great way to make better use of parking space, building a structure that doesn’t impact how many spaces you have, but that generates energy for savings and revenue. The amount of energy you can create is set by your car park’s footprint so you can easily design for the output you need.

Cut energy costs and protect against price volatility

Electricity prices have been one of the most volatile costs facing UK businesses and public organisations for the last few years. Creating your own energy reduces your reliance on the grid, bringing your energy costs down while also providing a revenue source if you produce more than you need.

Cut carbon emissions against Net Zero targets

A 500 kWp carport installed in the UK removes about 100 to 120 tonnes of CO2 per year, depending on the local climate and your energy supply mix. If you’ve got Net Zero commitments to meet, a single carport can massively reduce your carbon production.

Introduce EV charging for fleets and visitors

Solar carports produce a natural energy source for EV chargers. Chargers mount to support columns and short cable runs mean the solar array can feed your chargers directly during daylight hours. It also means you can install everything you need in one project, rather than retrofitting later.

Shelter vehicles

Provide shelter for vehicles to keep them out of the rain and under the shade on hotter days. You could even install LED lights under the canopy, improving safety for staff going to and from cars on early and late shifts.

Is your site suitable for a solar carport?

Solar carports are suitable to be installed on most UK commercial car parks. The best way to find out if your car park is suitable is to book a feasibility assessment with one of our team. However there are a few things you can check to see if you’re likely to be eligible.

Available parking bays
Carports with a minimum of 40 to 50 bays usually start to make economical sense, bigger car parks are better suited. If your car park isn’t big enough for a carport, you might consider either rooftop solar PVs or ground-mounted panels instead.
Ground conditions and foundations
Piled foundations are stronger but need excavation. Ballasted foundations sit on the surface and are better where you have utility services or drainage under the car park, or if you have heritage considerations.
Grid connection capacity
Your solar carport needs a grid connection that accepts the system’s export when it’s installed. This isn’t usually an issue for smaller installations. Larger installations can need an application to your Distribution Network Operator and network reinforcement. We can manage your DNO application as part of your project.

Orientation and shading
South facing car parks create the most power, but east-west facing installations can still give you a strong return, especially if your daytime power consumption matches what you can generate. As part of your feasibility review we’ll examine shading and climate conditions to factor into your design.
Planning permission
Your commercial solar carport is likely to come under permitted development and not need a full planning application. But you’ll likely need a prior approval notification. If your car park is on a listed site or conservation area you’ll usually need permission. Rules vary by local authority so check before you go ahead.

Our solar carport installation process

With Cornerstone Group you work with one team from our first site visit to the final handover. This reduces delays and communication breakdowns between contractors for the civils, structure, electrical and grid stages of your project.

Feasibility and site survey
We’ll carry out a thorough site visit, structural and electrical assessment, and provide you a written report setting out the most appropriate system size, generation forecast and predicted costs for your solar canopy.
Design and planning
Full structural and electrical design for your solar carport installation. We’ll handle planning permission and prior approval notifications where needed and DNO applications.
Groundworks and foundations
We’ll install your piled or ballasted foundations with minimal disruption to your car park wherever possible.
Structure and panel installation
We’ll erect your canopy, mount your solar PV panels, install inverters and cable runs and integrate any battery storage or EV charging infrastructure.
Commissioning and handover
We’ll carry out full electrical testing and certification to BS 7671 IET wiring regulations. Performance monitoring is activated so you can instantly monitor renewable energy generation, and you’ll get full documentation as part of the handover.

Why choose Cornerstone Group for your solar carport?

Cornerstone Group delivers your entire project within a single team, saving you the hassle of managing multiple contractors and reducing the risks of delays and communication breakdowns.

One contractor

Civil engineering, structural work, electrical infrastructure and renewables are all dealt with by our team including the groundworks crew, structural installers and electrical teams so you have a single point of accountability.

DNO and planning liaison

If you need a planning application or liaison with your local distribution network operator as part of your solar canopy project Cornerstone Group can handle all the administration and applications for you to reduce errors in the process and possible delays.

UK-based delivery team

Our project teams work from our offices in Manchester and Preston, delivering projects for commercial and public sector customers around the UK.

Commissioned and certified to BS 7671

Every system we install is fully tested, commissioned and certified to the BS 7671 IET wiring regulations before we hand it over.

Turn your car park into a cost saving, revenue generating asset

If you’re interested in how you can make better use of your car park space to reduce your reliance on grid energy and the fluctuating costs, or want to see how much revenue you could generate, book a feasibility assessment today.
We’ll send our surveyors to examine your site and provide a cost for your project as well as a rough payback time.

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How long does a commercial solar carport last?

The structural canopy has a design life of 25 years or more. Solar panels usually come with a 25 to 30 year performance warranty and can continue generating electricity (at a lower output) long after that.

Can solar carports be installed on a multi-storey car park?

Yes, they can on the top deck. These types of projects are more complex than standard carpark solar panel installations because the existing deck has to be able to support the additional load of the canopy. This will be assessed during the structural engineering assessment.

What maintenance do solar carports need?

Typically, an annual inspection and cleaning on the panels, along with a quarterly performance review is enough to maintain your panels. Most customers use a fixed-price annual maintenance agreement to keep costs predictable.

How much of our electricity will the carport cover?

This depends on your site and size of the installation. Large solar carports with heavy daytime loads (offices, education settings and healthcare campuses) can cover between 20% to 40% of your annual electricity needs. You can make this go further by adding battery storage to save excess power.

What if we don’t have enough parking bays?

Solar carports tend to become economically suitable at around 40 to 50 spaces and above. If you’re below this we can discuss other options for solar PV installation including roof mounted and ground mounted arrays.