Firms must get their property rights “buttoned up” first if they are planning to get solar panels, according to legal experts.

Solar panels are becoming popular with firms looking to trim their energy costs. A recent report found on-site energy generation such as solar or wind power could help UK businesses save around £33 billion by 2030.

Catherine Burke, Head of Energy at law firm Freeth and Cartwright Solicitors told ELN: “Ensuring that you have all the property rights is key. We find that a lot of the issues that arise on these projects – we do a lot of ground mounted solar projects – are around the property.”

With the amount of cash support from the Government about to drop, there’s pressure on solar projects to be ready in time, she said: “There’s a lot to think about, the support that’s being given at the moment under the Renewables Obligation falls next March, so projects have to move very quickly now to get the level of support that’s available at the moment.”

Making sure the project is as “de-risked” as possible can help smooth the process, added the law expert: “Make sure the property rights are absolutely buttoned down so the funders are confident that nothing’s going to come back and cause an issue in future.”