If You Own or Manage A Business with a Large Roof Space,
You Need to Read This.
Our View: Why Commercial Buildings Hold the Key to the UK’s Clean Energy Future
At AlphaGen Energy, we believe one of the greatest opportunities for the UK’s transition to clean energy is the unutilised rooftops of our industrial and commercial buildings.
A recent feature from Newmark, the global commercial real estate advisory firm, highlights a staggering fact that the UK has over 2.24 billion square feet of warehouse space in units over 50,000 square feet. Of that, around 1.68 billion square feet is suitable for solar panel installation – enough to accommodate over 100 million panels.
This could generate more than 68 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy every single day. That’s a transformative amount of low-carbon electricity from assets that already exist- no destroying greenfield sites, no new infrastructure, just smart use of space.
As Clare Bottle, CEO of the UK Warehousing Association, powerfully put it:
“Warehouses are not just the backbone of the UK economy – they’re also an overlooked opportunity in the shift to renewable energy.”
We agree. But recognising the opportunity is not the same as unlocking it.
Currently, only around 5% of warehouses in the UK have solar panels installed. The reason? Unnecessary barriers – not technology.
The Barriers Slowing Us Down
Despite overwhelming business and environmental benefits, rooftop solar is often delayed or derailed by avoidable bureaucracy and outdated regulations. These include:
- Planning Permission Requirements – Unlike many European countries, UK businesses must apply for planning permission just to install rooftop solar. This adds cost, time, and uncertainty to every project.
- Grid Connection Bottlenecks – Distribution Network Operators (DNOs), who manage the local grid infrastructure, can take up to four months to approve connections, with limited transparency or accountability.
- Zombie Applications – Once permission is granted, it can be held unused for over a year, blocking others from accessing available grid capacity.
AlphaGen’s Commitment to Change
At AlphaGen Energy, we’re not just talking about these problems, we’re working to solve them. That’s why we’ve:
- Engaged directly with policymakers, including a recent meeting with Toby Perkins MP, to advocate for change. We also wrote to Ed Miliband, Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero, outlining specific policy proposals. Not long after, the government announced a new push to prioritise clean energy projects for grid connections, a welcome move that echoes several of our suggestions.
- These proposed practical reforms include:
- Removing planning permission for solar on commercial and agricultural buildings.
- Mandating a postcode-based DNO capacity map with a simple traffic light system.
- Imposing a 3-month validity limit on unused grid applications.
- Requiring independent oversight of DNO capacity assessments.
We’re not claiming sole credit for the policy change, but it’s encouraging to see that our voice, along with many others in the industry, may be influencing the direction of travel.
The Path Forward
The UK has 250,000 hectares of south-facing industrial roof space sitting unused. That’s an untapped national asset that could supercharge energy independence, create local jobs, reduce bills for businesses, and help hit net-zero targets – without costing the Treasury a penny.
At AlphaGen, we’re ready to deploy the technology. We’re working with businesses, farmers, landlords, and local authorities to get projects moving and overcoming the red tape. And we’ll continue to push for a regulatory system that matches the urgency of the energy crisis.
Rooftop solar is essential for the future of the British economy.
And we’re here to make it happen.
