Commercial Solar Panel Installation in Newport and South Wales
Generate your own solar energy on site and cut the energy costs your Newport business pays during trading hours.
Commercial Solar Panels for Newport Businesses
Most businesses use the bulk of their electricity between morning and late afternoon, which is when solar panels generate. Every unit of energy your panels produce and your premises uses is a unit you no longer buy from your supplier. Your energy bills fall, your energy costs become easier to plan, and rising energy prices have less hold over your margins.
RCJ Electrical Ltd provides commercial solar panel installation in Newport for offices, shops, warehouses, schools, factories and other commercial buildings. We are MCS certified solar panel installers and an NICEIC approved electrical contractor, trading since 2012 with over a decade of electrical experience. That means your solar panels and the electrics they connect to are designed and installed by one team, with one point of contact from survey to handover.
Our commercial solar service covers Newport and the rest of South Wales, and we install renewable energy systems for businesses of every size, from the first energy review through to grid connection, commissioning and ongoing maintenance. We reply to every enquiry within 24 hours and offer a free site visit with a written, no obligation quote.
Is Solar Right for Your Business?
Commercial solar works best when a few things line up. Checking them now saves time for you and for our team.
Solar panels tend to suit businesses that:
- Use most of their energy during daylight hours, such as offices, workshops, schools and retail units
- Have a large, unshaded area of roof space in good condition
- Own their building, or hold a lease with several years left to run
- Want lower energy bills and more predictable electricity costs
- Want to improve sustainability and shrink their carbon footprint
It is usually a weaker fit when most of your energy use happens overnight, when the building is due for reroofing in the next few years, or when your lease is close to ending. Older fibre cement sheeting that may contain asbestos also needs assessing before any panels go on. If solar is not the right move for your premises, we will tell you at the site visit.
What Our Customers Say
Businesses and homeowners across Newport and South Wales leave reviews for us on Google. Read what our customers say about how we communicate before a job starts and the standard of work our team leaves behind.
Commercial Solar Services in Newport
Rooftop Solar PV for Commercial Buildings
Flat membrane, profiled metal and standing seam rooftops on offices, warehouses and retail units can all carry solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, turning unused space into a renewable energy source for the business. Every commercial solar panel installation starts with an energy audit of how and when your site uses power. We then design a system size that matches your load and the space available, so the solar PV array works for your business needs and keeps energy efficiency high. As a rough guide, each kilowatt of solar PV needs around 6m² of rooftop. We check the roof structure, pitch and shading at the survey, so the design works on your building as well as on paper and delivers a lower carbon footprint from day one.
Commercial Battery Storage Solutions
A battery stores surplus solar energy from the middle of the day and releases it later, when your site would otherwise draw from the grid. For businesses that trade into the evening or run equipment after dark, a battery raises the share of solar power used on site and adds to your energy savings. We design battery storage solutions alongside new commercial solar panels, and we can add a battery to an existing solar system. Find out more about our solar PV and battery storage service.
Supply and Distribution Upgrades
Commercial solar panels connect to the rest of your electrics, and older commercial properties often have boards and supplies that were never designed for on-site generation. Because we are an electrical contractor as well as solar installers, our team checks the existing installation, the supply and the distribution boards before we design anything. We then install any upgrades the system needs, so your solar panels and your building’s electrics work together. Our commercial electrician in Newport service covers the wider electrical work on your premises.
Solar and EV Charging on One Supply
Charge points for staff, customers or a company fleet can run on the green energy your commercial solar panels generate during the day, cutting fuel and electricity costs together. RCJ is ROLEC and Pod Point approved, so we can plan your solar panels and EV charger installation together and make sure the supply can handle both.
Monitoring, Maintenance and Aftercare
A commercial solar system is a sustainable, long-term asset, and its electrical performance depends on how well it is looked after. Solar panel systems typically last 25 to 30 years, and the panels carry manufacturer performance warranties over that period, while inverters and batteries usually carry 10 to 12 year warranties. We set up monitoring at commissioning so you can see what your solar system generates. Our electrical maintenance services and wider electrical services cover ongoing maintenance, inspections and performance checks to keep efficiency high.
Industrial Solar Panel Installation in Newport
Factories, production sites and distribution warehouses in Newport often have the two things solar needs most: large roofs and heavy daytime demand. Motors, compressors, lighting and process equipment all run while the panels are generating solar energy, so very little green energy goes to waste. Well-sized commercial solar panels can cover a meaningful share of a site’s electricity while exporting very little, which keeps energy costs down where they are highest.
Solar panel installation on industrial sites needs more planning. Bigger solar PV systems mean larger inverters, longer cable runs and heavier electrical loads, all designed to current UK wiring regulations, and they need sign-off from the network operator before we install anything. On larger Newport solar projects, we plan the work around production schedules and shutdown windows, and agree access, scaffolding and any isolations with you before we install.
Our electrical services and installation teams already cover engineering, manufacturing and agricultural businesses across Newport and South Wales. Our CHAS SSIP registration confirms the health and safety standards we work to on every site.
The Benefits of Commercial Solar Panels for Your Business
The benefits of commercial solar come from several places, and the strongest projects use all of them.
Using the energy on site. The more of your solar power you use during the day, the more you save. Every unit of energy your business generates and uses on site is one you do not buy from your supplier, and that is where most of your savings come from. It also gives you more predictable electricity costs, protection from rising energy prices and less reliance on the energy market for decades.
Export payments. Through the Smart Export Guarantee, businesses can receive payments for any surplus electricity they send back to the grid. Most commercial solar PV systems qualify, and smaller solar energy systems need MCS certification, which comes with every qualifying RCJ installation.
Tax relief. Financial incentives for commercial solar include tax relief through capital allowances. Many businesses can offset most or all of the cost against their profits in the first year. Your accountant can confirm which relief suits your business.
Business rates. In Wales, the green plant and machinery exemption keeps rooftop solar panels and battery storage out of non-domestic rates valuations, so installing solar panels should not add to your rates bill.
Grants. Newport City Council’s Net Zero Newport Decarbonisation Programme has offered small and medium-sized businesses in the council area match-funded grants covering up to 50% of eligible project costs. Applications for 2025/26 have closed and future rounds depend on new funding, so we will tell you at the survey whether a grant is open.
Sustainability. Generating clean, renewable energy on site lowers your carbon footprint and your reliance on fossil fuels. Green energy from your own roof shows a visible commitment to sustainability and helps you improve sustainability credentials with customers, tenants and supply chains. Larger clients increasingly ask suppliers to report their emissions, and on-site solar is one of the most direct ways to improve sustainability performance and run a more sustainable business. Commercial solar installations can also add value to commercial properties.
Grid Connection, Planning and Paperwork
Every solar energy system connected to the grid needs approval from the local network operator. In Newport and the rest of South Wales, that is National Grid Electricity Distribution.
Smaller solar systems only need to be registered once they are installed. Larger ones need approval before work starts, while the network operator checks the local grid can handle the extra power. We handle the whole application for you and start it as soon as the design is agreed, so it does not hold up your project.
Most commercial rooftop solar in Wales, including Newport, is classed as permitted development, so you will not usually need to apply for planning permission. There are a few conditions, such as limits on how far panels can stand above a flat roof, and keeping their effect on the building’s appearance to a minimum. A listed building, a site in a conservation area, or a property where permitted development rights have been removed may need consent. We check this before we quote.
Once the panels are running, we complete the connection paperwork, MCS registration and everything you need to claim Smart Export Guarantee payments. You also receive the electrical certification for the installation.
Installing Solar Panels Without Disrupting Your Business
Installing solar panels on a working site needs planning. Most of a commercial solar installation happens up on the rooftop, away from your customers and staff. Scaffolding and access are planned around deliveries, car parks and entrances. Inside the building, the work is mostly limited to fitting the inverter, which converts the solar power for use on your site, and connecting it to your electrics.
Connecting the system means turning the power off for a short time. We agree when it happens and how long it lasts before work starts, and schedule it for a quiet period, an evening or a weekend where needed. Your quote includes a clear timeframe, and our installation teams keep you updated as each stage is completed. Professional installation, planned properly, means your business keeps trading while the work goes on.
Talk to our team about planning your installation around your business needs.
How Our Commercial Solar Installations Work
Every commercial solar panel installation in Newport follows the same four steps, from your first call to handover.
Step 1: Free Site Visit and Energy Review. We look at your building, your supply, your distribution boards and how your site uses energy, including when your energy demand peaks. Knowing how much energy you use, and when, is the starting point for sizing solar PV systems correctly, so your recent bills help us build an accurate picture.
Step 2: Design, Connection Application and Paperwork. We design the system around your building and your load, confirm the planning position and prepare the grid connection application. You receive a written quote with a clear timeframe.
Step 3: Installation. Our in-house electricians install the panels, inverters and any battery storage to current UK wiring regulations, keeping disruption to a minimum.
Step 4: Commissioning, Handover and Monitoring. We test and commission the system, set up monitoring and hand over the certification, warranties and documents you need for your insurer and the Smart Export Guarantee.
Our Industry Accreditations
Facilities managers, schools, public sector customers and larger businesses often need a contractor to pass supplier checks before any work is booked. Our accreditations give you independent proof of the standards our team works to, and our commitment to safety and quality on every job.
- NICEIC Approved Contractor – Independent verification that our electrical work meets the latest UK wiring regulations
- CHAS SSIP Registered – Health and safety compliance verified across every commercial and industrial project
- ECA Member – Industry body membership offering backed guarantees and dispute resolution on completed projects
- MCS Certified – Confirms our installations meet the Microgeneration Certification Scheme’s strict standards and qualifies your system for Smart Export Guarantee payments
- RECC – Renewable Energy Consumer Code protection on every domestic solar installation
- TSI Approved – Trading Standards approved code of conduct
Book Your Free Site Visit
Fill in the form and we will arrange a visit to your Newport premises. We will look at your building and electrics, talk through how your business uses power and send you a free quote in writing, with no obligation or commitment.
- NICEIC Approved Contractor
- Trading since 2012
- Respond within 24 hours
- Serving Newport and South Wales
Prefer to talk first? Call our team on 01633 270 285 to book your free site visit.
Have your last 12 months of electricity bills to hand? Attach them to the form if you can. It lets us start sizing the system before we arrive.
Commercial Solar Across Newport and South Wales
Our base is in Newport, so many of the commercial buildings we install solar panels on are a short drive away. Newport’s business premises run from city centre shops and offices to large industrial units on the edge of Newport, and each brings different rooftops, electrical demands and sustainability goals. Warehousing and distribution units on estates such as Queensway Meadows and Maesglas usually offer large areas suited to bigger arrays. Office buildings at Celtic Springs, Cleppa Park and Langstone Business Park often have flat roofs, where panels sit on angled frames. Every Newport solar installation we design starts from what that building can carry and what the business uses.
Our commercial solar service in Newport covers the city centre, Newport Docks, Leeway, Queensway Meadows, Maesglas, Wern and Reevesland industrial estates, Celtic Springs, Celtic Business Park, Langstone, Cleppa Park and Imperial Park. Across South Wales, our commercial solar service brings green energy to businesses in Cwmbran, Caerphilly, Chepstow, Pontypool, Risca, Monmouth, Abergavenny and Cardiff.
Commercial Solar Panels Newport FAQs
Most commercial buildings with a reasonable area of roof space in good condition can take solar panels. The main factors are space, orientation, shading, the condition and strength of the roof structure, and how much electricity your business uses during the day. South, east and west facing slopes all work, and flat rooftops can carry panels on angled frames.
The free site visit confirms suitability for solar photovoltaic panels. Proper structural assessments make sure the building can support the installation before we install anything, and if repairs or strengthening are needed first, we will tell you before you commit to anything.
Often, yes, but it depends on the roof. Profiled metal and standing seam coverings are common on industrial units in Newport and usually suit solar well. Older fibre cement sheeting may contain asbestos, which should not be drilled or walked on without the right precautions. In that case, it may need assessing, overcladding or replacing before panels go on.
If the covering is close to the end of its life, it is usually better to replace it first. Removing and refitting panels later to carry out repairs adds time and expense.
Yes, with your landlord’s consent. Check your lease for restrictions on alterations to the building or the electrics, and agree in writing who owns and maintains the system. Solar suits Newport tenants best when there are several years left on the lease, so there is time to benefit from the savings.
We can provide the technical details your landlord needs to make a decision.
Commercial solar projects typically range from £[X] to £[X], depending on the size of the system. The final figure depends on the system size, the type of building, access and scaffolding, the inverter and battery choices, any supply or board upgrades, and what the grid connection needs.
Our site visit and quote are free and carry no obligation. Your written quote sets out the system, the installation and the expected generation, so you can weigh it against your current energy bills.
It depends on how much of the generation you use on site, your electricity tariff, the system size and the tax relief your business can claim. Businesses that use most of their power during the day see the fastest return, because each unit used on site avoids buying a unit at grid prices.
Your quote includes an estimate of annual generation, energy savings and the other benefits based on your own energy consumption, so the figures reflect your business rather than an average.
In most cases, yes. Solar panels qualify for capital allowances, and the Annual Investment Allowance lets many businesses deduct the cost from their profits in the year they buy. Limited companies may have other options too.
The right route depends on your profits, your other capital spending and how your business is structured. Talk to your accountant before installing solar panels, and we can provide the itemised costs they need.
They should not. Under the green plant and machinery exemption in Wales, rooftop solar panels and battery storage are left out of non-domestic rates valuations. The Valuation Office Agency applies the exemption, so contact them if you have a question about your own property.
Newport City Council’s Net Zero Newport Decarbonisation Programme has offered free energy advice and match-funded grants to small and medium-sized businesses with premises in the council area. Grants have covered up to half of eligible project costs, including energy efficiency, clean energy and renewable energy equipment and installation.
Applications for 2025/26 have closed, and future rounds depend on the council securing new funding. We keep an eye on what is open and will tell you at the survey if your project could qualify.
Yes. Under the Smart Export Guarantee, electricity suppliers pay for surplus solar power exported to the grid from systems up to 5MW. Suppliers set their own rates and contract terms, and your SEG supplier does not have to be the company that supplies your electricity, so it pays to compare.
You will need an export meter. Systems up to 50kW also need MCS certification, which comes with every qualifying RCJ installation.
Usually not. Solar panel installations on non-domestic buildings in Wales are typically classed as permitted development, provided they meet a few conditions on size and position.
Planning permission may be needed for a listed building, a site in a conservation area, or a property where permitted development rights have been removed by the council. We check the planning position for your premises before we quote.
G99 is the application for getting the network operator’s approval to connect a larger system, such as commercial solar panels, to the local grid. The operator checks whether the network can take the extra power before the system goes in, and may set a limit on how much you can export.
We prepare and submit the application as part of the project and deal with the DNO on your behalf, so you do not need to manage the technical side.
It depends on the size of the system and the capacity of the local network. Smaller systems are registered after installation. Larger systems need approval first, and bigger systems or busier parts of the network take longer.
We submit the application as early as possible and build the approval time into your project plan, so you know when the system can be switched on.
The time on site depends on the system size, the building and the access. In most projects, the time spent on site is far shorter than the time spent on design and connection approval. Larger industrial projects are planned in stages.
Your written quote includes a clear timeframe, so you can plan around the work before it starts.
Not always. If your site uses almost everything the panels generate during the day, a battery adds less. If you trade into the evening, run equipment overnight or export a lot of power at low rates, a battery lets you use more of your own generation, lowers your energy costs further and can improve the return.
We model both options at the survey, so you can see whether a battery earns its place.
Solar panels have no moving parts, but they still need regular checks to keep them efficient for decades. Electrical performance standards and maintenance are critical for any solar panel system, so inspections cover the panels, fixings, cabling, inverters and the connection to your electrics. The monitoring data shows if output drops. Dirt and debris build up faster on low-pitched commercial rooftops, so cleaning may be needed from time to time to protect efficiency and energy savings.
Our electrical maintenance services can include your solar panels alongside your other electrical checks.
Panels carry manufacturer product and performance warranties of typically 25 to 30 years, and inverters and batteries usually carry 10 to 12 year warranties. Your installation is also covered by RCJ’s workmanship and by our NICEIC and ECA membership.
We confirm the exact warranties for the equipment in your quote.
Your last 12 months of electricity bills are the most useful. Building drawings, your latest EICR and details of any new equipment you plan to add also help.
None of this is essential. If you do not have it, our team will gather what we need during the visit.
Yes. RCJ is an NICEIC approved electrical contractor, MCS certified for solar PV and battery storage, and ROLEC and Pod Point approved for EV charging. One team can survey, design and install all three and make sure your supply can support them together. See our electrical contracting services for the full range of electrical services we provide to Newport businesses, from new installations to testing.
Yes. We install solar panels and battery storage for residential properties too. Visit our Newport solar panels page for domestic solar panel installation, or ask us about Newport solar panels for your home when we visit your business.
Book a Commercial Solar Survey in Newport
Find out how much of your energy your own building could supply with renewable energy, and take a step towards lower energy costs and a greener future for your business.
Call 01633 270 285 or complete our contact form for a free, no obligation site visit and quote from MCS certified solar installers and an NICEIC approved electrical contractor.