UK Solar Carport Glossary

UK tax relief allowing 100% first-year capital allowance on plant and machinery, currently £1m per company group. Solar carports qualify in full.

PV panel that generates electricity from both front and rear surfaces. Mounted above tarmac, bifacial panels gain 5-12% extra annual yield from rear-side reflection.

Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method — UK building sustainability rating. Solar carports contribute energy and innovation credits.

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 — statutory framework for managing construction project health and safety. All carport projects covered.

Distribution Network Operator — the regional electricity network operator (UK Power Networks, NGED, Electricity North West etc.). DNO must approve any new generation connection via G99.

Engineering Recommendation G99 — the standard governing connection of grid-connected generation under 50 MW in Great Britain. All commercial carports submit G99 applications.

Engineering Recommendation G100 — covers export-limiting controls for generation that exceeds available DNO export capacity. Used on larger carports.

Device that converts DC electricity from solar panels into AC electricity for use by buildings or export to grid. Three types in commercial use: string, optimiser-string, and microinverter.

Kilowatt-peak — the rated peak output of a PV system under Standard Test Conditions (1000 W/m² irradiance, 25°C cell temperature, AM 1.5 spectrum). The standard unit for solar system size.

Levelised Cost of Electricity — the lifetime cost of electricity generated, expressed in p/kWh. UK commercial solar carports typically achieve 8-12p/kWh LCOE.

Microgeneration Certification Scheme — the UK quality assurance scheme for renewable energy installers. All carport projects MCS certified under MCS 005 (PV) and where applicable MCS 023 (battery).

Per-panel inverter (typically Enphase) that converts DC at the panel itself. Best for partially-shaded sites; higher cost than string inverters.

Statutory UK government and most local authority target to balance carbon emissions with removals, typically by 2050 (UK government), 2030 or earlier for many cities. Solar carports are a recognised contribution.

Power optimiser (e.g. SolarEdge P-Series) — per-panel DC-to-DC converter that allows each panel to operate at its own maximum power point, preventing string-level shading loss.

Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (formerly OLEV) — UK government department managing electric vehicle grants. Operates the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).

Passivated Emitter Rear Cell — older mainstream silicon cell technology, now being phased out in favour of N-type TOPCon and HJT.

Power Purchase Agreement — long-term contract (typically 15-25 years) where a generation asset owner sells electricity directly to a buyer at a fixed price. Common solar carport finance route.

Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme — UK government grant programme administered by Salix Finance for public sector buildings. Phase 4 (2024-28) has £1.4bn allocated.

Photovoltaic — the technology of converting sunlight directly into electricity using solar cells.

Smart Export Guarantee — UK scheme requiring electricity suppliers to pay generators for surplus electricity exported to grid. Current SEG tariffs 4-15p/kWh.

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting — UK statutory framework requiring large companies to disclose energy use and Scope 1, 2 (and increasingly 3) carbon emissions.

The proportion of solar electricity used on-site rather than exported to grid. Higher self-consumption = better economics. UK commercial carports typically 70-85% self-consumption.

Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact — N-type silicon cell technology delivering 10-15% better low-light performance and lower degradation than PERC. Now mainstream for Tier-1 panels.

Bloomberg NEF classification for solar panel manufacturers with strong balance sheets and proven manufacturing — Trina, Longi, JA Solar, JinkoSolar, REC, Canadian Solar etc.

Workplace Charging Scheme — OZEV grant of £350 per EV charge socket, up to 40 sockets per applicant. Stackable with carport capex.