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It may come under permitted development if the panels are a certain distance from the edge of the roof. Do you have any details on the install?

its on private land a small industrial unit park, on a tiled roof k2 system mounting rail less than 200mm portrait, 1mtr space around edge of roof.
 
I forget what the minimum distance is from the edge of the roof but I think 1m should be fine which means that planning permission will not be required.

i questioned pre planning about this monday they said yes you need planning got a call today saying oh im sorry you dont need planning see the attached in post 1
 
(c) the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a roof and within 1 metre of the external edge of that roof;

Just bear in mind that means EAVES as well as sides / ends .....
 
The legislation says:
"....the solar PV or solar thermal equipment would be installed on a roof and within 1
metre of the external edge of that roof."

Note it says 'roof' not 'roof slope' and it does use 'roof slope' elsewhere. So I would say a ridge is not necessarily an external edge of the roof.
 
The Ridge isn't the external edge, it's just an 'internal' edge.. Up to the ridge (so long as not above it with the 200mm rule) should considered OK for commecial - bear in mind on a flat roof that you can be up to 1m above it..
Also bear in mind the massive up lift forces if you get right on the ridge, net effect, along with the practicalities of installation, we always aim to keep the top of the panels below the ridge line, so on a roof of 20° slope, with panels prrotuding up to 200mm above the plane of the roof, to keep them below the ridge line the top of the panel should be no closer than 550mm from the ridge.

We have one installtion to do on a factory covered in what are rows of north lights, the back slope of which is ideal for panels, clearly these multiple ridges aren't the edge of the roof, and we keep to the above rule, since the south slope is at about 35° , we'll put the top of the panels about 300mm from the top of the ridge. There is no way that these ridges could, should or was intendeded to be interpreated as the edge of the roof. Same as the foot (eaves) of the in between slopes arent the edge either, so no need to be 1m from them.
 
Do you need planning for over 50kW on a commercial roof install. Cannot find exact legislation and I thought that it was not needed, but was told above 50kW it was?
 
as far as I know there's no limit on it, as long as it complies with the meter from the edge, not more than a meter from the surface rules.
 
Sorry, the limit for domestic and non-domestic permitted development is 50kW.

The PD refers to 'microgeneration' which is defined as up to 50kW at section 26(3) of The Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006. Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006

HMRC also refer to this same maximum limit when applying the tax exempt status.

No coincidence that this is also the MCS limit as well.
 
so it is.

Though it actually references the definition in the energy act 2004 in that planning document, the wording of the definition from there is below.

(6)
For the purposes of this section “microgeneration” means the use for the generation of electricity or the production of heat of any plant—
(a)​
which in generating electricity or (as the case may be) producing heat, relies wholly or mainly on a source of energy or a technology mentioned in subsection (7); and

(b)​
the capacity of which to generate electricity or (as the case may be) to produce heat does not exceed the capacity mentioned in subsection (8).

(7)​
Those sources of energy and technologies are—

(a)​
biomass;

(b)​
biofuels;

(c)​
fuel cells;

(d)​
photovoltaics;

(e)​
water (including waves and tides);

(f)​
wind;

(g)​
solar power;

(h)​
geothermal sources;

(i)​
combined heat and power systems;

(j)​
other sources of energy and technologies for the generation of electricity or the production of heat, the use of which would, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, cut emissions of greenhouse gases in Great Britain.

(8)​
That capacity is—

(a)​
in relation to the generation of electricity, 50 kilowatts;

(b)​
in relation to the production of heat, 45 kilowatts thermal.

Energy Act 2004


I'd entirely missed that, as there is no definition in the permitted dev document, or any size limit mentioned. They could have given us a steer by actually stating it in the PD legislation instead of assuming everyone knew
 
I stand corrected. Thanks Ted.

I'm surprised that kWp size affects planning. I don't really see what the amount of power generated has to do with it.
 
I can see no justifiable reason for the limit on non-domestic. If the roof is big enough to take whatever size PV without contravening the edge spacing condition then it is likely to have minimal impact. But for some reason it is there.

50kW = permitted, 50.01kW = planning permission.
 

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