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Metal roofs and solar panels go together very well. In our experience, an install on a profiled steel or standing seam roof is usually faster, lighter, and lower risk than the equivalent job on a pitched tile roof. There's a reason most commercial solar arrays you see across the UK — on warehouses, distribution centres, farm buildings — sit on metal.
That said, "metal roof" covers a lot of different things, and the install method depends on which type you've got.
This is the higher-end metal roof you'll see on modern commercial buildings, some agricultural sheds, and a growing number of architect-designed homes. The seams between sheets are folded vertically and either clipped or seamed together.
For solar, this is the dream surface. We use S-5! style clamps that grip the seam mechanically — no penetration of the roof skin at all. The roof's weathertightness is completely unaffected, and the entire array can be removed in the future without leaving a single hole.
This is what you'll see on most agricultural and light industrial buildings — wavy or trapezoidal sheets, often with insulation behind. For these we use roof-specific brackets that fix into the top of the profile (the raised crowns) with EPDM-sealed bolts, which sit above the water line and don't compromise the waterproof layer.
Done properly, with the right fixings and sealant, these installs are watertight for 20+ years. Done badly, they leak. The difference is almost always down to whether the installer is using the correct brackets for the specific profile of your roof — there's no one-size-fits-all here.
This is one of our most common commercial install types in the North West. Barn and shed roofs are often big, south-facing, and unobstructed — almost purpose-built for solar. We've installed everything from small 10kWp systems on cattle sheds to 226kWp arrays on factory roofs (our biggest recent commercial job was a Carlisle distribution facility).
For farms specifically, there are also tax advantages worth knowing about. Solar PV qualifies for 100% first-year capital allowances under the Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), meaning a working business can typically write off the entire cost against tax in year one.
When we survey a metal roof for solar, here's what we check:
It's less common in the UK, but we do install on domestic standing seam roofs (mostly on modern architect-designed extensions, garden offices, and self-builds). The process is the same as commercial — usually faster, because the array is smaller. If you've got a metal roof and you're not sure whether solar will work, the answer is almost certainly yes.
Our panel performance warranty is 30 years (standard across the Tier 1 manufacturers we use — JA Solar, AIKO, Longi). The mounting system carries a separate manufacturer warranty (typically 20+ years for the rails and clamps). Roof waterproofing is also covered under our installation workmanship guarantee.
If you've got a metal roof — domestic, commercial, agricultural — and you'd like to know what's possible, drop us a message. We cover the North West for residential and the whole UK for commercial. We'll come out, survey it properly, and tell you straight whether it's a fit.
