Can your business get Great British Energy solar funding?

Great British Energy solar funding depends on who owns and benefits from the project. The Local Power Plan sets out up to £1 billion for local and community energy [S1]. That is a programme commitment, not an award for every business roof. Check the applicant, ownership and funding route before budgeting for support. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

What is the Great British Energy solar funding scheme?

Start by identifying the programme behind the headline. The Local Power Plan covers local and community-owned energy across the UK. It includes funding and project support, rather than a universal payment for commercial solar panels. Its stated commitment is up to £1 billion. An expression of interest lets eligible project promoters share ideas, but does not itself apply for an award. [S1]

The September funding announcement launched £30 million as an initial part of that wider commitment. It described projects owned by community energy groups or local authorities. Do not put a share of a national announcement into your own budget as though it were an approved installation subsidy. [S3]

For a business owner, the useful question is who will be the applicant and asset owner. Your premises might be a potential host for somebody else’s community project. That is a different proposal from seeking money to buy your own equipment. Ask for the proposed structure before spending time on application forms.

Can your business get a solar panel grant?

The Community Fund requires a legally constituted, incorporated community organisation. The project must be designed for at least 50% community ownership when operational. Eligible organisation types include charities, community interest companies and community benefit societies. Check the full fund guidance for your structure. [S2]

Use this routing table to frame an enquiry:

The distinctions above follow the programme descriptions; they do not decide eligibility for an individual site. [S1], [S2], [S3]. A charitable purpose, public access or a village location should prompt a detailed check, rather than an assumption that the application qualifies.

How do you apply for Great British Energy funding?

For the Community Fund, applications are staged around project readiness: feasibility, development and capital. The fund page links to guidance and application materials. Match the application to the work you are ready to carry out, then confirm eligible spending and the live closing date in those materials. [S2]

Prepare a short project brief before approaching the fund or an installer. Include the legal applicant, proposed host, who controls the roof, intended electricity user, and how local benefit will be delivered. Keep a separate list of missing permissions. An attractive roof photograph does not answer those ownership questions.

Ask the administrator to confirm in writing whether surveys, design work, connection charges and construction costs fit the relevant stage. Also ask when expenditure can start. Keep the response with your project file and avoid instructing grant-dependent work until the award terms are clear.

The school funding guide helps separate public-estate questions. For a commercial proposal, use the solar installer checklist to compare the scope of the work you are commissioning.

Can solar funding include battery storage?

The Community Fund lists storage among the technologies it can support, subject to its full guidance. Inclusion of a technology is only an initial eligibility check. Ask whether the battery’s proposed use and ownership fit the project and application stage. [S2]

Require the designer to explain what the battery will do. Will it move daytime solar into your evening load, restrict export, or support charging? Request a solar-only design alongside the combined proposal. This lets you see the extra equipment, operating assumptions and maintenance obligations associated with storage.

Your project brief should distinguish power, measured in kilowatts (kW), from energy, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Ask for a generation and consumption schedule in consistent units, with battery losses shown. Use the battery sizing guide to prepare questions for the survey.

What if your commercial site does not qualify?

Compare a fully funded proposal, a part funded proposal and a self funded purchase using the same equipment scope. Ask each bidder to show who pays for surveys, roof work, grid work, maintenance and removal. A funding label does not explain those costs or establish that a grant has been awarded.

A power purchase agreement, or PPA, is a contract to buy electricity over an agreed period. The solar roadmap discusses the role of these arrangements and barriers such as credit strength and demand for long contracts. That makes the commercial terms worth examining before accepting a no-upfront-cost offer. [S4]

Request a schedule showing electricity purchased, export entitlement, tariff changes, any rent and the exit payment if you sell or redevelop. Have your solicitor check roof rights and termination terms, and check the accounting treatment with your accountant. Read the PPA comparison before evaluating offers.

What should you do next?

Bring your roof details, electricity bills, ownership information and any funding correspondence. Ask for a proposal that can stand on its own assumptions, with grant-dependent items clearly identified. Keep an unfunded version of the budget so you can judge whether waiting for an award changes your decision.

Test your own figures with the income and payback calculator and compare grants and funding before you commit.

Piggy Pineapple Ltd operates this referral service. We refer enquiries to installer partners and may be paid a fee. Our owner holds shares in at least one partner. Before sharing your details, we name the proposed partner and disclose any shareholding our owner holds in it. Read how we work, then get matched with an installer that covers your area.