Britain’s small businesses, energy cooperatives and rural entrepreneurs are being urged to get in on the action as the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) opens nominations for its first Centenary Awards, with the leading sector focusing on rooftop solar.
The awards, which mark 100 years of rural campaigning, will culminate in a ceremony to be held at the Houses of Parliament on 29 October 2026. Of the six categories on offer, the award for Best Rooftop Solar Solution is likely to attract the most interest in the SME community, coming at a time when government policy is placing panels instead of tilting panels instead.
That mood swing is not an accident. Earlier this year, the CPRE warned that almost two-thirds of England’s largest solar farms were built on productive agricultural land, while a third were located on the country’s most valuable farmland – a finding that has sharpened the minister’s desire to unlock an estimated 250,000 hectares of suitable commercial and domestic rooftops across the UK. The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero has since signed a measure to support commercial rooftop solar, including easing business rates starting in 2035 and targeting 1MW installations.
For small and medium-sized firms that have long viewed solar as deep-pocket savings, the timing could not be better. Businesses generated a record number of clean energy last year, with wind and solar driving the UK’s renewable electricity record – and a growing slice of that coming from a range of rooftop SMEs rather than industrial-scale developments.
CPRE has deliberately set the bar for excellence. A successful nomination must demonstrate some, or all, of four characteristics: meaningful participation of the local community in site selection and approval; sensitive design that minimizes the visual impact on the environment; long-term economic benefit to the host community and energy efficiency; and the use of new solutions or technologies to overcome site-specific challenges.
The judging panel shows that range of releases. Emma Fletcher, Innovation Director at Octopus Energy, brings the perspective of one of the country’s most disruptive clean energy players, a business currently investing billions in renewables on both sides of the Atlantic. Joined by Richard Alvin, Editor of Capital Business Media’s renewable energy topic Turning Electric, and long-time author of the energy transition for SMEs; Noël Lambert, founding director of social finance pioneer Big Solar Co-op; and Juliet Loiselle, Publisher at Warners Group Publications.
It’s a limited program to distinguish between solar projects that simply tick the carbon box and those that are truly rooted in the communities they serve, a distinction that continues to separate the winners and runners-up in the clean energy market.
Crewenna Dymond, director of communities and engagement for CPRE, said the awards were designed to highlight issues that are often questioned.
“As the CPRE celebrates its centenary, these awards are an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable people and projects that are already making a difference to our countryside. From new housing solutions to public green spaces, there is a lot of inspiring work happening across England that deserves to be recognised,” he said.
“Whether you are an individual, a business or a community group, we want to hear your story. Nominations are open to everyone, and we encourage anyone who cares about the countryside to get involved.”
That way of opening the door is important. In recent years there has been a wave of investment commitments aimed at small commercial sites – including Electron Green’s pledge to invest up to £1bn to kick-start the solar revolution in UK businesses – yet many of the smartest initiatives led by SMEs remain unknown except where they are found. The Centenary Awards provide an unusually high-profile platform to change that.
Nominations close on 30 June 2026, with the winners and most recommended candidates invited to a parliamentary ceremony in October. Self-nominations are accepted, and full criteria are published on the CPRE National Centenary Awards page.
For SME owners whose rooftop systems have quietly transformed their balance sheets, their carbon footprints and, critically in the eyes of CPRE – their communities, this is a rare opportunity to seek a piece of national recognition.
