Solar Canopy for Business Parks

## Business Parks: Growing Solar Canopy Demand Business parks have become one of the fastest-growing solar canopy sectors in 2025-26. Three trends are converging: 1. **ESG tenant requirements**: FTSE companies now routinely specify minimum sustainability standards in office lease requirements. A BREEAM Very Good or Excellent building with solar canopy helps landlords attract and retain premium tenants. 2. **EPC minimum standards**: MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards) requires commercial buildings to achieve EPC E by 2023 (done), EPC C by 2027 (upcoming), and EPC B by 2030 (proposed). Solar PV improves EPC ratings. Canopy solar feeding into common parts supply contributes to the building's asset rating. 3. **EV fleet charging**: Business park occupiers are transitioning company cars to EVs. Employees need workplace charging. A solar canopy with 7-22 kW AC chargers provides this without relying on the grid for all charging energy. ## Common Parts Solar Allocation For multi-tenanted business parks, the most common funding structure is: 1. Landlord installs canopy on their own MPAN (common parts meter) 2. Smart controller allocates generation to common areas first (lighting, lifts, HVAC) 3. Surplus allocated to tenant sub-meters on a proportional basis 4. Tenants charged at 80% of grid rate for allocated solar — savings shared between landlord (income) and tenant (cost reduction) 5. Any remaining export goes to SEG This structure requires a landlord's electricity supply licence exemption under the Electricity Act or the use of a licensed electricity supplier as intermediary. We work with specialist suppliers who provide this service. ## Business Park EV Infrastructure We recommend a tiered EV strategy for business parks: - **Phase 1** (now): 7 kW AC chargers under canopy for all-day parkers. Funded by solar revenue. - **Phase 2** (when EVs reach >30% of site vehicles): 22 kW AC chargers at key bays. Smart load management across all chargers. - **Phase 3** (when public charging demand exists): 50-150 kW DC rapid at visitor/public bays. Revenue share with operator. Designing for Phase 3 from day one (cabling, sub-station capacity) avoids expensive retrofits later. ## Case Study: 5-Building Business Park, South East England A property fund installed a 280 kWp solar canopy across 86 bays serving five office buildings. System included 16 x 22 kW AC chargers and a 100 kWh battery pack. Year 1 results: 298,000 kWh generated, £74,500 energy saving, £22,400 EV charging revenue. Total annual return: £96,900. System cost: £369,000. Simple payback: 3.8 years. Three previously vacant office suites were let in the 6 months following completion — the agent attributed the lettings partly to EV charging availability.