Derbyshire is one of England’s most manufacturing-heavy counties. Derby’s aerospace, rail and automotive supply chain sits alongside family-run factories in Alfreton, Somercotes, Ripley, Heanor, Ilkeston and Long Eaton, quarries and lime works in the High Peak, and farms across the Dales. Many of these businesses own their buildings, which makes solar a decision they can take for themselves. BrightEdge Solar designs and installs commercial solar PV and battery storage for factories, warehouses, farms and public buildings across Derby and Derbyshire. We’re based in Beverley, East Yorkshire, and travel nationally for larger commercial projects.
Machining, fabrication, presses, compressors, curing ovens and lighting all run while the sun is up. Every unit you generate and use on site is a unit you don't buy at full price.
Portal-frame sheds and workshops on the A38 and M1 estates have roof space that earns nothing at the moment.
From first call to aftercare
Initial call: we look at your bills and, ideally, half-hourly data. Desktop design: satellite imagery and mapping give us an initial layout and estimate, often before we visit.
Site survey: roof, structure, electrical supply, existing G99 approvals and access. Proposal: final design, expected generation, costs and timescale.
G99 application: we submit and track it, along with any planning application. Installation and commissioning: MCS-compliant, planned around your busy periods.
Remote monitoring, plus optional annual maintenance to MCS MIS3002.
Initial call: we look at your bills and, ideally, half-hourly data. Desktop design: satellite imagery and mapping give us an initial layout and estimate, often before we visit.
Site survey: roof, structure, electrical supply, existing G99 approvals and access. Proposal: final design, expected generation, costs and timescale.
G99 application: we submit and track it, along with any planning application. Installation and commissioning: MCS-compliant, planned around your busy periods.
Remote monitoring, plus optional annual maintenance to MCS MIS3002.
See our recent projects
Factories and engineering firms. Precision engineers, fabricators, plastics, food and furniture makers, and aerospace, rail and automotive suppliers in Derby, Amber Valley, Erewash, South Derbyshire and around Chesterfield. Just up the M1, we installed a 69.16 kWp SolarEdge system for a manufacturer in Rotherham.
Warehouses and logistics. Distribution and trade units along the M1 and A38. See warehouse and industrial solar.
Farms, quarries and rural businesses. Livestock and dairy farms in the Dales and the Peak fringe, estate workshops, and quarry and processing buildings with daytime loads. See agricultural and farm solar.
Schools and academies. Daytime use during term matches generation well, and modular and newer school buildings often have simple metal roofs. We plan work around the school calendar.
Churches and charities. Halls, community buildings and charity premises. We give trustees plain figures for their committee.
Public sector. Council, NHS and emergency-service buildings, depots and leisure centres. We hold CHAS accreditation, which public bodies and main contractors often ask for. See office and public sector solar.
Including on systems installed by other firms: inspection, fixing and re-certifying non-compliant systems, and ongoing maintenance.
Yes. We cover Derby, Amber Valley, Erewash, South Derbyshire, Chesterfield, the High Peak and the Dales from our base in Beverley, and we install commercial systems across the UK.
Most of Derbyshire, including Derby, Alfreton and Chesterfield, is on National Grid Electricity Distribution. Buxton and Glossop are on SP Electricity North West, and Dronfield is on Northern Powergrid. We confirm yours from your postcode and handle the G99 application.
Yes. We work to site inductions, permits and RAMS, and if you or your customer has an approved-equipment list, we can design the system around it.
Typically about £17,000–£21,000 for 30 kWp, £28,000–£37,000 for 50 kWp and £50,000–£65,000 for 100 kWp, excluding VAT. Systems of 150 kWp and above are typically about £420–£650 per kWp. Book a free survey for an accurate quote.
Many rooftop systems on commercial buildings fall under permitted development, subject to conditions and size limits. Sites in the Peak District National Park, in or near the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, or on listed buildings are more likely to need permission. We’ll check for your site and apply if it’s needed.
Many rooftop systems on commercial buildings fall under permitted development, subject to conditions and size limits. Ground-mounted arrays are more likely to need planning permission, and listed buildings and protected areas can need extra checks. We’ll check for your site and apply if it’s needed.
We work with businesses and organisations across:
These are areas we cover, not a list of past installs. For Sheffield and Rotherham, see commercial solar in Sheffield and Rotherham.
A battery stores midday surplus for early starts, second shifts and evening loads, instead of exporting it at a low rate. It can also help where the network operator limits your export, and on some tariffs it can trim short demand peaks from heavy machinery. We size batteries from your half-hourly data, your tariff and your solar generation, and we’ll tell you if a battery doesn’t pay its way. Commercial battery storage typically costs about £350–£450 per kWh installed, including the hybrid inverter. More detail: commercial battery storage.
Derbyshire has three network operators. Most of the county, including Derby, Alfreton, Ripley, Belper, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Swadlincote and Chesterfield, is on National Grid Electricity Distribution’s East Midlands network. Buxton and Glossop in the High Peak are on SP Electricity North West, and Dronfield is on Northern Powergrid. We confirm yours from your postcode and meter number.
Almost every commercial system needs G99 approval before installation. We prepare and submit the application with the technical details and single-line diagrams the DNO needs, and deal with any queries. Approval typically adds 8–12 weeks before installation, so we start it early. If the DNO limits your export, a G100 export limitation scheme or a battery means you still use what you generate on site. Already have G99 approval for an older system? Tell us at the start. Read more: G99 applications explained.
Many rooftop systems on commercial buildings fall under permitted development, subject to conditions and size limits. Ground-mounted arrays are more likely to need planning permission. In Derbyshire, local factors include:
We’ll check for your site and apply if it’s needed.
Indicative installed costs for commercial solar PV, by system size:
Commercial battery storage typically costs about £350–£450 per kWh installed, including the hybrid inverter. As a real example, a 42 kWh battery with a 20 kW hybrid inverter added to an existing system came to about £16,000.
Prices exclude VAT, which is charged at 20% on commercial installs. Simple roofs with good access sit at the lower end. Fibre-cement roofs, premium panels, scaffolding and safety systems such as rooflight protection or Man-Safe lifelines push the price up. Every quote sets out equipment, installation, scaffolding and DNO costs separately, so you can compare like for like.
Payback depends on how much of the generation you use on site, your unit rate, the system size and how easy the roof is to work on. Factories that run through the day usually use most of their solar on site, which shortens payback. We model it from your half-hourly data and show the expected payback in your proposal.
Send us a recent electricity bill, your half-hourly data if you have it, and details of any existing G99 approval. We’ll come back with an initial view on system size and whether solar makes sense for your building.
Book a free survey · Call 01482 765063 · info@brightedgesolar.com
BrightEdge Solar Ltd, Colonial House, Swinemoor Lane, Beverley HU17 0LS. MCS certified (NIC-601602). RECC member.