UK raises rooftop solar PV threshold limit to 1MW

Limits for rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in the UK has been raised to 1MW from 500KW.

Commercial properties will now be able to generate more clean solar energy from rooftop solar arrays, according to UK Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles.

UK’s Renewable Energy Association chief executive officer Nina Skorupska said: "We are delighted with today’s announcement which will make it much easier for factories, farms, hospitals, bus stations and other commercial buildings to generate their own sustainable electricity while also saving themselves money and resources.

"Solar installed on commercial buildings has the potential to generate significant amounts of clean electricity, yet it is a considerably underdeveloped area, and the rigidity of the planning system has long been a major barrier to its progress.

"Doubling the threshold before a full planning application is required for a solar installation is a simple but effective step which will lift the shackles from the sector, and will help developers avoid uncertainty in terms of degression of feed-in tariff rates."

The new regulation is likely to offer the opportunity for up to 4,000 solar panel installations above buildings.

Following the relaxation of threshold limit, approval, businesses will not be required to get prior approval for solar panel installation of 4,000 solar panels, according to BusinessGreen.

Commercial properties require such permissions at present for rooftop solar installations. Solar PV modules with over 50KW capacity need government authorisation, which limits its panel installations to up to 200.