UK Commercial Solar Projects: Results Published by the Owners
Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial
What does this list show, and what does it not?
Every entry comes from a page published by the project's owner, a council, an NHS body or the government, read on 22 October 2026. Sizes use each publisher's own unit (kWp, kW, MW or panel counts), and most output figures are expected annual generation, not meter readings, unless the entry says otherwise. The list is a sample of publicly reported projects, and two entries are government programmes covering several sites. It is not a ranking, a complete record or a forecast for another building, none of it is work linked to this site, and listing a project does not recommend whoever built it. Savings figures that publishers also gave are left out; the original pages carry them. An earlier page of examples on this site was retired because it showed models, not delivered projects.
Which projects are listed?
| Project | Size as stated | Year as stated | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great British Energy rooftop solar at 11 schools, England | 945 kWp across the 11 schools | 2025 | GOV.UK, 3 June 2025 |
| Great British Energy solar at five NHS sites, England | 474 kW across the five sites | 2025 | GOV.UK, 26 September 2025 |
| Larkhill Garrison, Wiltshire (Army) | More than 4,000 panels on 2.5 hectares, ground-mounted | 2026 | GOV.UK, 20 July 2026 |
| Bates mine water treatment scheme, Northumberland (Coal Authority) | 2,112 panels; 570 kWp at peak | Operating from 1 March 2019 | GOV.UK, 30 June 2021 |
| Watford Leisure Centre Woodside (Watford Borough Council) | 282 kWp; 680 panels | May 2025 | Watford Borough Council, 28 January 2026 |
| Rainbow Leisure Centre, Epsom (Epsom & Ewell Borough Council) | 177 kWp; 390 panels | February 2025 | Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, 13 February 2025 |
| Milton Keynes University Hospital (NHS trust) | 2,586 panels | As at August 2021 | NHS England, August 2021 figures |
| University of Sunderland, David Goldman Technology Centre | 420 kWp | 2024 | University of Sunderland, December 2024 figures |
| Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre, South Staffordshire | More than 21,000 panels; 5.8 MW | 2014 | Jaguar Land Rover, 3 April 2014 |
| Bentley Motors factory, Crewe | More than 20,000 panels on 3.45 hectares of roof | March 2013 | GOV.UK, 10 October 2013 |
| Nissan Sunderland plant solar farm | 4.75 MW | 2016 | Nissan, 12 March 2021 |
Which projects did government and public bodies publish?
Great British Energy: 11 schools
A GOV.UK release dated 3 June 2025 lists the first 11 schools to install Great British Energy rooftop solar. Its table gives 945 kWp in total and 851,715 kWh of yearly generation, with the largest, Harris Academy Chafford Hundred in the East of England, at 256 kWp and 214,300 kWh.
Great British Energy: five NHS sites
A GOV.UK release of 26 September 2025 says the first five NHS sites have been fitted with Great British Energy solar, a total installed capacity of 474 kW. The largest is the Winchester & Eastleigh Resource Centre of South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, at 242 kW.
Larkhill Garrison, Wiltshire
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation's GOV.UK news item of 20 July 2026 says a new array has officially opened at Larkhill Garrison. It spans 2.5 hectares with more than 4,000 panels, is expected to generate approximately 1.7 GWh a year and was funded through the Army's Project Prometheus. The page also reports four additional rooftop installations at the garrison.
Bates mine water treatment scheme, Northumberland
The Coal Authority's GOV.UK news item of 30 June 2021 describes 2,112 panels at its Bates scheme near Blyth, able to produce 570 kWp at peak and 550,000 kWh a year. It began operating on 1 March 2019, and the Coal Authority reports 1,370,000 kWh generated since commissioning, performing above expected capacity.
Which projects did councils, hospitals and universities publish?
Watford Leisure Centre Woodside
Watford Borough Council's news item of 28 January 2026 says 680 panels were installed in May 2025, a 282 kWp system expected to generate around 255,700 kWh a year. It also gives measured output: approximately 113,000 kWh from June to August 2025, almost half of the centre's electricity demand in that period.
Rainbow Leisure Centre, Epsom
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council reported on 13 February 2025 that 390 panels had been installed on the roof, a 177 kWp system that will generate 140,000 kWh a year, one fifth of the centre's electricity. The council calls it its fourth and largest solar installation to date.
Milton Keynes University Hospital
NHS England's Greener NHS page says that, as at August 2021, 2,586 panels fitted on the hospital's flat roofing structure were producing 853 MWh a year, around 8% of the trust's electricity requirement. The trust had approved a business case for around 900 more panels.
University of Sunderland
The university's energy page says it installed 435 kWp across campus in 2022/23, expected to generate over 380,000 kWh a year, and lists 420 kWp installed in 2024 at the David Goldman Technology Centre. As of December 2024 it reports nine arrays capable of generating 870,744 kWh a year.
Which business sites published their own figures?
Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre
Jaguar Land Rover's release of 3 April 2014 says it had completed what it called the UK's largest rooftop solar array at the Engine Manufacturing Centre at i54 South Staffordshire: more than 21,000 panels with a capacity of 5.8 MW, with plans to pass 6.3 MW by the end of that year. It estimated the system would generate more than 30% of the centre's energy requirements.
Bentley Motors, Crewe
A Department of Energy & Climate Change page of 10 October 2013 says an array installed in March 2013 on the Bentley factory, owned and operated by a solar power generator, covers 3.45 hectares of roof with more than 20,000 panels. A power purchase agreement lets the factory use the electricity generated during working hours directly. At peak the system will produce up to 40% of the factory's energy requirements, and a Bentley board member is quoted as saying it had generated over 2,200,000 kWh since March.
Nissan Sunderland plant
Nissan's newsroom release of 12 March 2021 says the Sunderland plant has a 4.75 MW solar farm installed in 2016, alongside 10 wind turbines. The release also set out a proposed 20 MW extension, subject to approval at that date, which this page does not count.
How should a business use these figures?
As context, not a forecast. Each figure describes one site with its own roof, equipment and use of electricity, and the ages range from 2013 to 2026. For regional installation data see UK solar capacity by region, and for how payback varies between places see commercial solar payback by region. A reader who wants to compare a building of their own can send an enquiry through the form on the commercial PV installations page.
Sources
- GOV.UK, checked 22 October 2026: First schools install Great British Energy solar panels (3 June 2025); Great British Energy solar panels cut bills for NHS and schools (26 September 2025); Army solar farm powers greener future at Larkhill Garrison (20 July 2026); Switch to solar energy shows the Coal Authority shine (30 June 2021); Bentley Motors: Solar PV rooftop array (10 October 2013).
- Watford Borough Council, checked 22 October 2026: Summer solar performance highlights major environmental benefits at Watford Leisure Centre - Woodside (28 January 2026).
- Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, checked 22 October 2026: Epsom & Ewell Borough Council completes largest solar panel installation so far at the Rainbow Leisure Centre (13 February 2025).
- NHS England, checked 22 October 2026: Solar power sparks an electrical future for Milton Keynes University Hospital.
- University of Sunderland, checked 22 October 2026: Energy.
- Jaguar Land Rover, checked 22 October 2026: Jaguar Land Rover installs the UK's largest rooftop solar panel array at its Engine Manufacturing Centre (3 April 2014).
- Nissan, checked 22 October 2026: Nissan announces plans for major expansion of renewable energy at Sunderland Plant (12 March 2021).
Common questions
Are these projects connected to this site?
No. They are projects reported by their owners, councils, public bodies or government on their own pages. This site publishes information and does not carry out installations, and listing a project does not recommend whoever built it.
Why are savings figures not listed?
Several publishers gave bill-saving estimates alongside output. Those depend on each site's tariffs and assumptions, so this page lists size, year and output as stated and leaves the savings to the original pages.
Is an expected output the same as a measured result?
No. Most figures here are expected annual generation. A few are measured, such as Watford's approximately 113,000 kWh from June to August 2025 and the Coal Authority's 1,370,000 kWh since commissioning at its Bates scheme, reported in June 2021.
Why do some entries date from 2013 and 2014?
Their owners or government published the figures on pages that are still online, so they are included with their dates. Read each one with its date in mind.