Solar carport finance
Funding for PV canopies over staff and customer car parks, where a steel structure, a solar array and often EV charging are bought as one project.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a solar carport?
Yes, although a solar carport sits awkwardly between construction and equipment. What you are buying is a steel or aluminium canopy with foundations, topped with a PV array and frequently wired to charge points. The foundations and groundwork are effectively building work and some funders will not lend against that portion at all. The canopy itself is a permanent structure on your land, so recovery is impractical and the lending decision rests heavily on the business and on land ownership. We split the quote and place the fundable elements with funders comfortable with mixed civil and equipment projects.
Used kit: No. Dismantled carport structures are effectively bespoke to their original site and second-hand canopies are not a fundable asset class in practice.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
What would a solar carport cost per month?
Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
How lenders treat it
A carport is not a portable asset and no funder pretends otherwise. Concrete foundations, steelwork and groundworks are civil engineering, and many equipment funders will exclude them from the fundable value, leaving the PV modules, inverters, charge points and electrical infrastructure. Because the finished structure cannot be recovered, underwriting falls back onto the trading covenant and, crucially, onto whether you own the land it stands on. Tenants struggle here more than with rooftop solar, since a canopy is an improvement to someone else’s site and landlord consent as well as a waiver will be needed. Where charging revenue is generated from staff, visitors or the public, some funders will factor that income stream into affordability.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| Schletter Park@PV carport | Steel solar carport canopy |
| Van der Valk Solar Carport | Single and double bay PV canopy |
| K2 Systems carport mounting | Carport PV mounting structure |
| JA Solar bifacial modules | Bifacial panels for canopy roofs |
| Trina Vertex bifacial modules | Canopy mounted PV modules |
| SolarEdge SE50K inverter | Three phase carport inverter |
| Huawei SUN2000-50KTL inverter | Commercial carport string inverter |
| Myenergi Zappi v2.1 chargers | Solar aware EV charging points |
| Rolec Zura charging posts | Commercial car park charging units |
| Van der Valk ballasted foundations | Ballasted carport foundation system |
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
Who buys one
Office parks and head offices wanting visible sustainability credentials, retail and leisure sites with large open car parks, NHS and university estates, car dealerships sheltering stock, and distribution sites shading van fleets. The trigger is usually a fleet electrification plan that needs daytime charging, or a planning condition attached to a site expansion. Buyers are typically owner-occupiers, because the structure is permanent and nobody builds one on a short tenancy.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Solar carport finance questions
Is a solar carport financed as equipment or as a building?
It is usually treated as both. The panels, inverters, charge points and electrical works look like equipment and are straightforward to fund. The foundations, steel frame and groundworks look like construction, and several funders will either discount that element or decline it. We separate the quote before it goes anywhere.
Can I add EV charge points to the same agreement?
Generally yes, and it is usually neater to do so. Charge points installed as part of the canopy are commissioned at the same time and appear on one installer invoice, which suits funders better than a second application a few months later for an asset bolted onto the first.
Does the car park need to be freehold?
It makes life far easier. A canopy is a permanent improvement to the land, so funders want certainty that you will still occupy the site for the working life of the structure. Leasehold sites are possible with a long unexpired term and written landlord consent, but expect more questions.
Are planning permissions needed before finance is agreed?
Usually the funder will want to know planning is either granted or not required before they release money to the installer. Nobody wants to fund a structure that then cannot be built. Send us the planning position with the quote and we will flag it to the funder up front.
Can the charging income be counted towards affordability?
Where charge points are open to staff, customers or the public and you are charging for electricity, some funders will look at the projected revenue as supporting evidence. It is treated cautiously, particularly in the first year when usage patterns are unproven, and it will not on its own carry a weak trading position.
Get a quoteor call 07581 364281
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Get your quote
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.