Grants and funding for solar panels for office buildings
UK grants, tax reliefs, and finance routes for solar panels for office buildings. Updated for 2026.
Funding routes for this sector
Annual Investment Allowance (AIA)
All UK businesses
- Value
- 100% first-year deduction up to £1m
Permanently set at £1m from April 2023. Applies to qualifying plant + machinery including solar PV.
Full Expensing (50% FYA on special-rate pool)
Companies (not partnerships/sole traders)
- Value
- 50% first-year deduction
Solar PV falls into the special-rate pool; FYA at 50% in year one, 6% writing-down thereafter.
Salix Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS Phase 4)
Government, NHS, local authority, FE colleges, schools
- Value
- Up to 100% capex grant
Phase 4 funding rounds open annually. Average grant £180k-£2m. Application window typically Q1.
Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)
Any business with off-street parking
- Value
- £350/socket × up to 40 sockets
OZEV-administered. £14,000 max per site. Often paired with solar PV install.
Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)
Systems <5 MWp
- Value
- 5-12p/kWh exported
Mandatory tariff offered by all major energy suppliers. Octopus typically pays highest at 12p+.
UK Infrastructure Bank
Larger commercial projects
- Value
- Debt finance £5m-£100m
Below-market debt for clean infrastructure. Useful for business park / portfolio rollouts.
Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) Phase 3
Industrial sites in England
- Value
- Up to 30% capex (max £6m)
Office-based manufacturing/R&D HQs can qualify if industrial use predominates.
British Business Bank Recovery Loan Scheme
UK SMEs <£45m turnover
- Value
- Up to £2m guaranteed debt finance
70% government guarantee to lender. Useful for capex-constrained SMEs.