Your building. Your business case.
Commercial solar deserves a clear brief: the building, the load, the ownership horizon and the people responsible for each decision. Build a proposal your operations and finance teams can both read.
Understand the operating day
A warehouse, office and workshop may have similar roof areas but very different electricity profiles. Begin with when energy is used, the applicable tariff and the changes already planned for the site.
The first question is not ‘How large can the array be?’ It is ‘What would a well-matched system need to achieve for this property?’
- Energy use and operating hours
- Available interval data and tariff structure
- Roof lease, ownership and remaining roof life
- Planned fleet, heating or process electrification
Give facilities a voice early
Access routes, roof warranties, drainage, fire access, structural review and maintenance space belong in the brief. A promising energy model is not enough if the building cannot support the proposed arrangement.
The scope should also identify shutdowns, delivery access and the work that needs to happen around normal operations. Project-specific conditions determine the delivery plan.
- Roof and electrical feasibility review
- Clear utility and authority dependencies
- Responsibility for any enabling works
- An installation plan coordinated with site operations
Build a model that can be challenged
A useful financial model exposes its inputs. Ask for the electricity assumptions, estimated production, capital scope, operating allowances and any future replacement costs to be shown separately.
Test a less optimistic case as well as the central estimate. Grants, financing and tax treatment require current eligibility checks and advice appropriate to the owner; they are not automatic project benefits.
- Base cost before potential incentives
- Documented forecast assumptions
- Sensitivity to changes in usage and rates
- Separate discussion of finance and ownership options
Define handover before procurement
Set expectations for drawings, equipment records, commissioning evidence and access to monitoring before the final scope is accepted. Decide who reviews performance and who receives fault notifications.
Support, inspection and maintenance arrangements should have named responsibilities and written terms. They should not be inferred from a product warranty.
Questions about commercial solar
Can a tenant explore solar?
Yes, as an initial feasibility exercise. Roof rights, landlord consent, lease duration, insurance and ownership of the equipment must be resolved before a project can proceed.
Will solar reduce demand charges?
That needs a tariff-specific assessment of the building’s load and timing. Do not assume that an annual energy estimate proves a reduction in billed peak demand.
Are commercial incentives included in the advertised price?
There is no advertised installed price on this site. A project proposal should state its base price and list any potential incentive separately, subject to verified eligibility and approval.