The newly-promoted Business and Energy Minister has thrown his weight behind solar panels on warehouses as a key tool to enable the Government to reach its clean power goals.
In a foreword to a new report from the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), Michael Shanks MP writes that “our nation’s warehouses” have a “huge role to play” in achieving the Government’s goal to increase UK solar capacity from around 18GW today to 45GW by 2030.
The UKWA estimates that using the rooftops of just the largest warehouses could create 17.3GW of power generating capacity, getting the Government four-fifths of the way to its target. The report is a toolkit to help companies navigate planning, financing and grid connection issues when installing solar panels on their rooftops.
Shanks adds, “The warehousing sector, the backbone of the UK’s logistical operation, has a fantastic opportunity to slash costs and hedge against volatile markets.
“Putting solar on warehouses is a no-brainer. Across England and Wales, the ONS finds that they cover 220 million square metres or the equivalent of over 30 thousand football pitches.
“This is a vast amount of roof space which we can use to deliver clean power and protect businesses from volatile fossil fuel markets, saving them hundreds on their bills, boosting energy security and tackling the climate crisis.”
Support for this form of renewable energy crosses societal divides. A survey commissioned by the UKWA found that solar power on industrial rooftops was the most popular single form of renewable energy, backed by 9 in 10 members of the public*.
“Rooftop solar on warehouses is a win-win”, Clare Bottle (pictured), CEO of the UKWA, said, “the potential is vast, the support is there, and the technology works.”
However, Bottle added that “there are still too many practical barriers and misaligned incentives. The most common complaint is long delays for grid connections: in some cases, projects have been left waiting for years.” The UKWA also pointed to “old-fashioned lease terms” as a hurdle for warehouse tenants.
The UKWA called on the Government to trial fast-track grid connection schemes at major logistics hubs, working with Distribution Network Operators (companies who manage local electricity infrastructure) to accelerate rooftop solar rollout. The trade body, which represents companies operating over 200 million square feet of warehousing in the UK, also called for new commercial buildings to be made “solar-ready” as standard.
*To what extent do you support or oppose the following types of renewable energy generation in the UK? (2,117 members of the UK public, surveyed by YouGov 15-16 July 2025. Full results below.)
