If every business rooftop in the UK were fitted with solar panels, the electricity generated would be enough to power every household and still leave ample capacity to run essential infrastructure such as street lighting. The types of businesses examined in the study total 86, further grouped into 15 sectors including Retail, Manufacturing, Hospitality and Professional services.
Energy experts at E.ON UK reviewed commercial roofspace across UK towns and cities and have calculated the solar yield potential compared with local household energy consumption and streetlighting demand.
If every business in the City of London was fitted with rooftop solar panels, it would supply over 31 times the household energy demand (≈3,148%). While the City of London tops the list, there are significantly fewer homes compared to other regions audited. Additionally, only 0.09% of that potential energy would be needed to run every streetlight in the city. Manufacturing sites made up 16.9% of business premise types in this region, with Information & Communication 11.8%, Professional Scientific and Technical 10.1%.
Hammersmith & Fulham and Thurrock follow closely, with rooftop solar potentially able to generate 12 times the local demand. Gateshead follows as it could cover 1,046% of household consumption, highlighting the role of industrial and warehouse rooftops in northern cities.
Luton and Trafford both could exceed 700% of local household energy demand and would only need less than 0.4% of solar generation to cover all streetlights.
Islington’s dense urban rooftops could generate 645% of household demand and streetlights account for just 0.42% of local solar potential.
Top 15 UK towns and cities by percentage of homes that could be powered by business solar
| Rank | Town/City | Homes in Region | Total Solar Yield (kWh) | Percentage of Solar Needed for Streetlights | Percentage of Homes Powered
|
| 1 | City of London | 8,915 | 757,824,800 | 0.08% | 3,148% |
| 2 | Hammersmith & Fulham | 91,699 | 3,023,309,000 | 0.01% | 1,221% |
| 3 | Thurrock | 65,391 | 2,136,759,000 | 0.02% | 1,210% |
| 4 | Gateshead | 94,705 | 2,674,048,000 | 0.01% | 1,046% |
| 5 | Luton | 79,662 | 1,541,612,000 | 0.02% | 717% |
| 6 | Trafford | 99,443 | 1,911,574,000 | 0.01% | 712% |
| 7 | Islington | 111,855 | 1,947,958,000 | 0.01% | 645% |
| 8 | Milton Keynes | 119,543 | 1,893,038,000 | 0.01% | 587% |
| 9 | Dudley | 138,526 | 2,187,863,000 | 0.01% | 585% |
| 10 | Telford & Wrekin | 82,261 | 1,295,798,000 | 0.01% | 583% |
| 11 | Hillingdon | 109,524 | 1,676,913,000 | 0.01% | 567% |
| 12 | Leicester | 141,351 | 2,069,741,000 | 0.01% | 542% |
| 13 | Camden | 117,457 | 1,616,949,000 | 0.01% | 510% |
| 14 | Peterborough | 88,558 | 1,179,903,000 | 0.01% | 493% |
| 15 | Renfrewshire | 90,186 | 1,185,065,000 | 0.01% | 487% |
Milton Keynes and Dudley could both deliver around 585% of local energy demand, proving that regional business hubs can match London boroughs in solar impact.
Telford & Wrekin follows closely behind by potentially being able to cover 583% of local energy demand. Telford & Wrekin only need 0.01% of energy to power their streetlights.
Hillingdon could deliver 567% of local demand, requiring just 0.47% of potential energy to keep every streetlight on. Leicester could produce 542% of demand, with 0.5% of that, enough to power street lighting.
Camden rooftops could power 510% of household needs, leaving ample headroom for local energy trading or storage. Peterborough rounds out the top 15, with a potential to deliver 493% of local energy demand and just 0.54% required for streetlights.
A spokesperson for E.ON commented: “The energy transition is about making energy more affordable and sustainable, and through our commitment to leading the transition to new energy in a way that works for everyone, we’re proving community projects can reduce costs for many people, as well as cut carbon and increase the UK’s energy resilience. We need to recognise and promote 21st century solutions where we can generate and share renewable energy locally, avoiding the need for infrastructure investment and passing savings to consumers.”
“Many businesses already utilise flexibility services such as demand side response, to lighten the load on the grid, however there are community-scale projects that show it is possible to go further than simply reducing demand. For example E.ON UK’s community energy solar-sharing project in east London. By sharing energy locally between buildings via smart grid technology, we’re able to change the way people think about self-generation, future grid connections and energy management.”
For more information: https://www.eonenergy.com.
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