Grants and funding for solar carport installation
The grants, tax reliefs and finance routes that actually apply to a commercial solar carport install in 2026 — and the ones that have closed.
Two things get confused constantly: capital grants and tax relief. For a commercial solar carport there is little direct capital grant — the real value is in the tax position and, for the EV charging, the Workplace Charging Scheme. The most important correction to make up front: solar PV is a special-rate asset, so it does not qualify for 100% full expensing. The correct 100% route is the Annual Investment Allowance, with a 50% first-year allowance on the balance for companies. Anyone telling you a solar carport gets full expensing is wrong — and it is the kind of detail that tells you whether an installer knows the sector. Take your own tax advice; we will give your accountant the figures.
Funding and tax routes for a carport install
Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)
Businesses, charities and public-sector organisations installing EV chargepoints at workplace car parks, claimed through an OZEV-authorised installer. Directly relevant to the EV-charging element of a solar carport.
- Value
- From 1 April 2026, up to 75% of purchase and install cost, capped at £500 per socket (£2,000 per socket for state-funded education), for up to 40 sockets per applicant.
Extended a final year to 31 March 2027. The separate staff-and-fleets EV Infrastructure Grant and the landlord chargepoint grants closed to new applicants on 31 March 2026. Verify by 2027-03-31.
Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) + 50% First-Year Allowance
UK businesses paying corporation or income tax. Solar PV is special-rate (integral features) expenditure, so it is excluded from 100% full expensing; the correct 100% route is the AIA.
- Value
- 100% relief on up to £1m of qualifying expenditure a year via the AIA (companies and unincorporated), then a permanent 50% First-Year Allowance on the balance for companies.
Solar does NOT qualify for full expensing, and this is not the new 40% main-rate FYA. Confirm the structure-versus-PV split and your position with your accountant. Verify by 2026-12-01.
Business Rates Exemption (England)
On-site renewable generation and storage plant, including solar and batteries, in England. Removed from the rateable value rather than a discretionary relief.
- Value
- Full exemption from business rates in England from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2035, so a solar carport does not raise your rateable value.
England only; Scotland and Wales are devolved with separate arrangements. Verify by 2026-12-01.
Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) / Commercial PPA
MCS-certified installations up to 5MW with an export MPAN and a smart meter. Domestic and small-commercial carports use SEG; larger commercial export is usually a negotiated PPA.
- Value
- Supplier-set and variable, roughly 1p-15p per kWh flat, up to ~25-30p on variable time-of-use tariffs with a battery. Always check the supplier's current rate.
Self-consumed units are worth far more than exported units, so size to on-site load first. Commercial export is typically PPA or negotiated, not domestic SEG. Verify by 2026-12-01.
Great British Energy — Public-Sector Solar (NHS & Schools)
Public-sector bodies. A programme worth up to £255m across the NHS, around 250 schools and ~15 military sites, including car-park canopies. Centrally delivered and targeted, not an open portal.
- Value
- Up to £30m allocated to 34 NHS trusts (announced 24 October 2025); Solar for Schools installs are 100% grant-funded where selected.
PSDS is closed to new applicants (Phase 4 awarded projects run to 31 March 2028). Do not imply an open apply-now route. Verify by 2026-12-01.
Zero-Capital PPA (Power Purchase Agreement)
Sites that would rather not fund the capital. A funder designs, pays for, installs and maintains the carport; you host it and buy the generated power at a fixed rate below grid price.
- Value
- No upfront cost; a fixed unit rate below grid retail over a 10-25 year term, keeping the asset off balance sheet.
Removes the capital barrier on long-payback carport schemes. The private-sector equivalent of a public grant. Verify by 2026-12-01.
How they stack
On a commercial install these combine rather than compete. A limited company can claim the Annual Investment Allowance (or the 50% first-year allowance) on the PV plant, take the England business-rates exemption on the on-site generation, and claim the Workplace Charging Scheme on any EV sockets — all on the same project. Public-sector sites (NHS, schools, councils) may instead be funded through the Great British Energy programme, which is centrally delivered rather than an open portal. Where capital is the barrier, a zero-capital PPA removes it entirely: a funder installs and owns the carport and you buy the power below grid price.
What has closed, and what is genuinely dated
Ignore any content still promoting these: the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is closed to new applicants (awarded Phase 4 projects run to 31 March 2028), and the staff-and-fleets EV Infrastructure Grant and the landlord chargepoint grants closed to new applicants on 31 March 2026. The two dates that do matter are real, not sales pressure: the Workplace Charging Scheme's £500-per-socket rate runs to 31 March 2027, and the residential 0% VAT relief reverts to 5% on the same date (commercial buyers pay 20% either way, recoverable if registered).