Commercial solar panels offer numerous advantages for factories and warehouses, crucially supporting these energy-intensive structures. Businesses increasingly opt for solar PV systems as a sustainable, dependable, and renewable energy solution that yields savings amid rising energy costs.
We offer a comprehensive turn-key service encompassing the design, installation, and management of customised commercial solar PV panel systems tailored to your business requirements.
Whether it’s powering robust manufacturing equipment or providing heating and lighting for warehouses, our team ensures a reliable system that consistently delivers advanced energy efficiency.
Factory and warehouse sites typically run large, consistent electricity loads, which makes them well suited to the benefits of solar power. The larger your operation and consumption, the bigger the potential benefits.
Solar creates electricity at about 5p per kWh, compared to grid costs of between 25p-30p per kWh in commercial environments. For a factory or warehouse drawing 500,000 kWh a year you could see significant savings.
Producing your own electricity on-site means you’re less vulnerable to changing prices from the grid. Combined with battery storage, your factory or warehouse can use stored solar power during peak-rate times to reduce your costs and reliance on the grid, protecting you from fluctuations and disruptions.
Every kilowatt-hour created on-site reduces your Scope 2 emissions. As an example a 200 kWp roof installation can offset 45,000-55,000kg of Co2 a year (equivalent to about 25 cars). If you want to show your sustainability credentials, solar is a safe option.
Factory and warehouse solar installations can improve your EPC rating and, with documented output, could even increase the value of your building.
Installing solar panels on a factory or warehouse is an investment with provable returns. Depending on your energy consumption, available roof or ground space, and chosen funding model you could see significant returns on your capital investment quickly.
Over the lifetime of a factory solar installation you could save up to five times the cost of what you’d spend using electricity from the grid. Plus, by incorporating battery storage, you can sell surplus energy back to the grid, turning your solar system into a source of additional revenue.
Most factory and warehouse solar installations achieve payback within 2 to 4 years on average using a CAPEX purchase. Your exact payback period will depend on the size and complexity of your system, consumption profile and energy export revenue.
Solar typically covers 20-50% of a factory or warehouse’s yearly electricity needs, without battery storage and depending on your consumption and roof space. If you add battery storage this increases how much energy you can store and use when you need it.
For example a 500kWp rooftop installation on a large factory could create about 450,000-500,000 kWh a year. At a grid saving of 20p per kWh you’d save between £90,000-£100,000 a year.
Our specialisation in large-scale solar installations means that we’re used to the challenges that warehouses, factories and other industrial facilities can carry. With these in mind, we can help deliver systems that have real operational and financial benefits.
From feasibility and design through to installation, commissioning, and monitoring, we manage the entire process. This reduces risk, saves time, and helps keep projects on track. If any delays happen, we can let you know ASAP.
Every project is designed and aligned to your commercial objectives, helping you reach sustainability targets and balance this with stakeholder expectations. This helps with ESG reporting and brand credibility alike.
All of our industrial projects are built with high-quality, durable components designed for long term performance. This means low maintenance costs over time with maximised output, keeping operational costs down.
Solar panels blend into rooftops, but what about the cables, control panels, and batteries? We take the time to plan how these will be arranged on site, helping keep things both functional and accessible without being an eyesore.
Every factory or warehouse presents its own challenge when it comes to roof structure, current electrical capacity, operating hours and planning needs. Cornerstone Group’s installation process is designed to work around your operations.
Get in touch to discuss your project in more details and arrange a site assessment visit by an experienced member of our team. Once we’ve visited your site we’ll be able to give you a more accurate idea of the system size you could install, projected outputs, financial returns and likely payback period.
Can solar power work with battery storage and EV charging?
Yes and we’re seeing more requests for a combination of solar panels along with storage and charging facilities. You can charge batteries using solar power and use this to cover peak demands to reduce costs or to power your factory and warehouse at night. EV charging points for electric fleets can be fed directly from your solar panels or battery storage system.
How does solar help with ESOS and Net Zero compliance?
Installing solar panels on your factory or warehouse reduces how much energy you need to draw from the grid, which can reduce your Scope 2 carbon emissions and support obligations under programmes like the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme.
Can solar panels handle the energy demands of busy factory and warehouse environments?
With the right system size, yes. You may not be able to meet your entire energy needs from solar, but you can cover a significant amount of your needs (up to 50% in some cases) from solar panel systems. If you combine this with battery storage you can again increase your self-reliance for power and reduce you use, and spend, from the grid.
What are the funding options for solar panels on a factory or warehouse?
You’d purchase the system and own it outright. Of all your options this one delivers the best returns in the long-term because all the savings and revenue from surplus energy goes to you. Over a 20 year lifespan this tends to be the most cost effective option.
Asset finance or lease to own involves spreading the investment over a fixed period (usually between 3-10 years). You can usually cover the monthly costs with the energy savings you make.
It’s best to investigate which funding option is best suited to you seeking advice if you’re not sure which are available to you.
Do I need planning permission to install solar panels on my warehouse or factory?
For the majority of factories, warehouses and manufacturing sites in the UK you won’t need planning permission to install a solar system because they’re deemed permitted development.
But there are some situations when you may need to apply. Ground-mounted systems or installations on listed buildings, within conservation areas or some developments over a particular size may need planning permission from the local authority.
If you do need planning permission we can handle the entire application process for you.
How easy is it to maintain solar panels on a factory?
Industrial solar panels carry manufacturer warranties of 25-30 years and can operate efficiently for 40+ years. Typical output degradation is usually less than 0.5% a year and the inverter only needs replacing every 12-15 years on average.
20 Swan Street
Manchester
M4 5JW
330 Fouroaks Road,
Walton Summit
PR5 8AP