Commercial Solar for Warehouses and Industrial Buildings: What Should Businesses Consider?

For warehouses, factories and industrial businesses, energy can represent a significant operating cost.

Large premises, machinery, lighting, heating and cooling systems, production equipment and increasingly electric vehicle charging can all contribute to substantial electricity consumption.

But many industrial and warehouse buildings also have something that could potentially become a valuable business asset:

a large roof.

Commercial solar PV can allow businesses to use that space to generate electricity on site. But before covering an industrial roof with solar panels, there are several important things to consider.

Why Can Warehouses and Industrial Buildings Be Well Suited to Solar?

One of the potential advantages of commercial solar is the relationship between when solar panels generate electricity and when many businesses consume it.

Solar PV generates during daylight hours.

Warehouses, factories and other commercial operations can also consume significant amounts of electricity throughout the working day.

Where generation and consumption align, a business may be able to use a proportion of the electricity it generates directly on site rather than purchasing all of its electricity from the grid.

That's one reason commercial solar can be particularly interesting for businesses with substantial daytime electricity requirements.

1. How Much Electricity Does the Business Actually Use?

Before discussing panels, start with energy consumption.

Understanding historic electricity usage helps build a picture of what a business currently requires.

But total annual consumption only tells part of the story.

When that electricity is being consumed can be just as important.

A manufacturing operation running machinery throughout the day may have a very different consumption profile from a warehouse with relatively low daytime demand but significant overnight requirements.

Understanding that profile allows a commercial solar system to be considered in the context of the business itself.

2. How Much Suitable Roof Space Is Available?

Warehouses and industrial premises often have large roof areas, which can make them obvious candidates for commercial solar.

But roof size alone isn't enough.

A site assessment will need to consider factors such as the orientation of the building, shading, roof construction, condition, access and other practical considerations.

The objective shouldn't simply be to ask:

"How many solar panels can we fit on this roof?"

Instead, businesses should consider:

"What system makes sense for this building and our electricity requirements?"

3. When Does the Business Use Most of Its Electricity?

This is particularly important when considering the potential value of a commercial solar installation.

A business operating heavily during daylight hours may potentially consume a significant amount of generated electricity directly.

Businesses with different operating patterns may need a different approach.

This is where detailed consumption information can help create a much clearer picture than simply looking at the business's annual electricity bill.

4. Could Battery Storage Form Part of the Project?

Commercial battery storage may also be worth considering alongside solar PV.

A battery can provide additional flexibility by storing electricity for use at another time.

Whether this adds value will depend on factors including the site's consumption profile, proposed solar generation, operating hours and the objectives behind the project.

Battery storage isn't automatically necessary simply because a business is installing solar.

Again, the solution should be driven by the data.

5. What Is the Business Trying to Achieve?

Reducing reliance on electricity purchased from the grid may be one objective, but businesses increasingly have other reasons for investing in renewable energy.

These can include:

• greater control over long-term energy costs;

• reducing carbon emissions;

• meeting internal sustainability targets;

• supporting ESG objectives;

• responding to customer or supply-chain requirements; and

• demonstrating investment in more sustainable operations.

For some businesses, several of these objectives will apply simultaneously.

Understanding them at the beginning makes it much easier to assess whether a proposed renewable energy project delivers what the organisation actually needs.

6. Look at Solar as a Business Investment

A commercial solar installation shouldn't simply be viewed as another purchase.

It is an investment in business infrastructure.

That means decision-makers should expect to understand the numbers behind a proposed project.

A commercial solar proposal should help the business understand the proposed system, anticipated generation and how that relates to the site's electricity consumption.

For finance directors, managing directors and business owners, that information is essential when assessing whether the investment supports the company's wider financial and operational objectives.

Could Your Warehouse or Industrial Premises Be Suitable for Commercial Solar?

If your business occupies a warehouse, factory or industrial premises, it may be worth finding out what your roof could potentially do for you.

Primis Renewables works with businesses to assess their energy requirements and explore renewable energy solutions designed around their individual premises and objectives.

Based in Shropshire, our team can assess your site, understand your electricity requirements and discuss whether commercial solar and battery storage could be appropriate for your business.

Speak to Primis Renewables to arrange an initial commercial solar site discussion.