Ideally you need a space on your business property that is south facing, has no shading in summer or winter from trees, chimneys or neighbouring properties. It doesn’t need to be the roof on your business, it could be your on your warehouse, factory or even on the ground. However most businesses are unlikely to have a 100% ideal site, but should still consider having an installation e.g if your proposed installation is facing anywhere from due east through to due west you will still get a very good output. If your panels are likely to be partially shaded at the early or late part of the day, this is acceptable. Most importantly, you must ensure that your installer highlights these concerns and gives you a realistic expected electricity generation level based on these or other scenarios.
A good way to determine if your roof is likely to be a suitable location is to view it on the free google maps website. Key in your postcode and you will see a satelite photo view of your property and surrounding area. It is viewed as if you were looking at a map with north being the top of the page and south being the bottom.
There are several types of location type which can be used to mount the pv panels – see below :
Areas covered in this section :
Where can I install solar pv on my house?
General requirements of a property
Cost guidelines
Feed in Tarriff (FIT)
Choosing an Installer
Solar PV case studies