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It should also explain whether the figures are measured after installation or forecast before installation. The most useful case studies include roof condition, half-hourly electricity data, DNO position, access requirements, electrical works, maintenance assumptions, and the basis for the financial return." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why are commercial solar case studies useful for businesses?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Commercial solar case studies help businesses understand what may be realistic on a similar site. They show how system size, roof area, daytime electricity use, grid connection, export limits, and installation constraints affect the outcome. They should not be treated as a guarantee, because every building has different electricity demand, roof condition, tariff, lease position, and grid requirements." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which UK businesses are usually best suited to commercial solar?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Commercial solar often works best for businesses with high daytime electricity use, suitable roof space, and a long-term plan to remain at the site. Warehouses, manufacturers, cold stores, farms, schools, offices, depots, healthcare buildings, leisure sites, and hospitality businesses can all be suitable. The strongest cases usually involve sites that can use a large share of the solar electricity on site rather than exporting most of it to the grid." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What makes a commercial solar case study less reliable?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A case study is less reliable if it only gives headline savings without explaining the assumptions. Weak case studies may omit export rates, maintenance costs, DNO restrictions, roof survey findings, access costs, VAT treatment, finance costs, or whether the results are measured or forecast. A credible case study should make clear what was included, what was excluded, and what could change on another site." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is a typical commercial solar system size in UK case studies?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Commercial solar system sizes vary widely. Smaller commercial systems may be around 10 to 30 kWp, while warehouses, schools, farms, and offices often fall somewhere between 50 and 300 kWp. Larger manufacturing, logistics, cold storage, or industrial sites may use systems from 100 kWp to 1,000 kWp or more where roof space, electrical infrastructure, and grid connection allow." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How much electricity does commercial solar generate in the UK?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "A well-sited UK commercial rooftop solar system often generates around 800 to 1,000 kWh per kWp per year. Southern England may achieve around 900 to 1,050 kWh per kWp, the Midlands around 850 to 980 kWh per kWp, and northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland around 750 to 900 kWh per kWp. Actual generation depends on roof orientation, pitch, shading, panel specification, inverter design, maintenance, losses, and installation quality." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is a typical payback period for commercial solar in the UK?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Commercial solar payback is commonly around 4 to 8 years, but it can be shorter or longer depending on the site. Payback is usually stronger where the business uses most of the solar electricity on site and pays high import electricity rates. Payback may be longer where the system exports a high share of generation, the roof needs work, the DNO requires grid upgrades, or the business has low daytime demand." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why does self-consumption matter in a commercial solar case study?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Self-consumption is the share of solar electricity used directly by the business on site. It matters because using solar power on site usually saves more money than exporting it to the grid. A commercial solar case study with high self-consumption, often above 70%, is usually financially stronger than one where much of the generation is exported at a lower value." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What role does the DNO play in commercial solar projects?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The DNO, or Distribution Network Operator, manages the local electricity network. Commercial solar projects may need DNO approval before installation or commissioning, especially where the system is larger or may export electricity to the grid. The DNO may approve the project, restrict export, require export limitation equipment, request studies, or identify reinforcement works. DNO approval is separate from planning permission." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the difference between G98 and G99 in commercial solar?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "G98 is generally used for smaller generation connections, while G99 applies to larger systems or installations that may have a greater effect on the local grid. Many commercial solar projects require a G99 application. A useful case study should state which route applied, whether export was approved, and whether any DNO conditions affected the final system design." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How much does commercial solar cost in the UK?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Typical UK commercial solar costs are often around £900 to £1,400 per kWp for smaller 10 to 30 kWp systems, around £700 to £1,100 per kWp for 30 to 100 kWp systems, and around £550 to £900 per kWp for 100 to 500 kWp systems. Larger rooftop systems above 500 kWp may be lower where access and grid costs are straightforward. These are broad benchmarks, not quotations, because roof condition, access, structural work, electrical upgrades, and DNO requirements can materially affect cost." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should commercial solar case studies include battery storage?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Battery storage should be included only where it has been properly modelled. Commercial batteries can help where there is excess solar generation, peak demand, tariff opportunities, or export limits, but they do not automatically improve payback. A case study should show battery size, usable capacity, control strategy, cost, tariff assumptions, and whether the battery is reducing import, managing peaks, supporting resilience, or limiting export." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "When might commercial solar not be suitable?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Commercial solar may not be suitable where the roof needs imminent replacement, cannot take additional load, has heavy shading, or contains fragile or difficult materials. It may also be unsuitable where the business has low daytime electricity use, plans to leave the site soon, cannot obtain landlord consent, or faces expensive grid reinforcement. In these cases, the project may need resizing, roof works, export limitation, battery modelling, or a different investment route." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why is half-hourly electricity data important for commercial solar?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Half-hourly electricity data shows when a business uses power in 30-minute intervals. This is important because solar generation is produced during daylight hours, so annual electricity consumption alone is not enough. A site with high daytime demand may be a strong fit, while a site with similar annual consumption but mostly night-time demand may export too much solar electricity for the same financial return." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What should schools look for in commercial solar case studies?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Schools should look for case studies that show how term-time demand, summer holiday export, safeguarding, site access, and installation timing were managed. A good school solar case study should explain whether works were completed during holidays, how much electricity was used on site, how export was treated, and whether the approval route involved a local authority, academy trust, or independent governing body." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What should manufacturers look for in commercial solar case studies?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Manufacturers should look for evidence that the installer understood production loads, three-phase equipment, shutdown windows, switchgear capacity, cable routes, fire safety, and operational disruption. A strong manufacturing case study should show whether the system was sized around current demand, future electrification, or both, and whether the installation affected production." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What should farms and cold stores look for in solar case studies?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Farms and cold stores should look closely at roof condition, structural capacity, asbestos risks, fragile materials, refrigeration demand, and rural grid constraints. Cold stores can be a strong fit because refrigeration often creates steady daytime demand. Farms can also work well, but older agricultural buildings may need roof replacement or strengthening before solar is suitable." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How can I compare commercial solar installers using case studies?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Use case studies to check whether the installer has worked on similar buildings, load profiles, and operational constraints. Look for clear evidence of measured generation, roof survey findings, DNO handling, access planning, electrical integration, monitoring, maintenance, warranties, and transparent payback assumptions. A useful installer case study should explain the problems solved, not just show photographs of panels on a roof." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should a case study use measured results or forecasts?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Completed projects should ideally use measured results after at least 12 months of operation. Recent installations can include early performance, but they should not imply that a few months of data represents a full year. Planned projects should be clearly labelled as forecasts. A good case study separates measured generation from modelled generation so the reader can judge the evidence properly." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "What questions should I ask after reading a commercial solar case study?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Ask what system size was installed, how much electricity it generates annually, how much is used on site, how much is exported, what tariff assumptions were used, whether DNO approval was required, what roof and electrical surveys found, what costs were excluded, and whether maintenance, inverter replacement, VAT, export income, and finance costs were included in the payback. 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