Real Projects, Real Numbers

UK Commercial Solar Case Studies

Every install we deliver is PVSyst-modelled at proposal stage and audited against actual generation in year one. Below is a selection of recent UK SME projects with the actual numbers.

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Accredited and certified for UK commercial solar work

75 kW install on a Bristol marketing agency office

A 45-person digital marketing agency operating from a converted warehouse near Bristol. Existing electricity bill £18,000/year, rising fast. Founders wanted client-visible sustainability commitment.

System
75 kW (138 panels, 1 inverter)
Annual saving
£14,500
Payback
6.5 years
Generation
68,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Asset finance over 6 years — cash-flow positive month one. Lobby display shown to all visitors. Featured in three client pitch decks within first year.

180 kW install on a Manchester light-industrial unit

Family-owned plastics manufacturer in a 1990s industrial estate unit. Electricity spend £58,000/year. Asked for a fast-payback no-fuss design.

System
182 kW (335 panels)
Annual saving
£42,000
Payback
5.8 years
Generation
168,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Self-funded with AIA tax relief. 76% self-consumption. Owner used the install to win a Tier-1 supply contract requiring renewable energy disclosure.

320 kW install on a Cambridge Science Park R&D facility

A 280-employee biotech company operating a 24/7 wet lab and pilot manufacturing line at Cambridge Science Park. Pre-install electricity spend £215,000/year. Required Scope 2 reduction for FTSE 100 customer requirements.

System
320 kW (590 panels)
Annual saving
£68,000
Payback
5.4 years
Generation
290,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

AIA + asset finance over 7 years. 96% self-consumption thanks to lab baseload. Used to retain £8.5m supply contract requiring renewable energy disclosure.

180 kW install on a West Yorkshire 3PL warehouse

A regional 3PL operator with a 6,000 sqm warehouse outside Leeds. £62,000/year electricity spend driven by LED lighting, EV chargers for fleet, and refrigerated zones. Owner-occupied with 12-year remaining lease term.

System
182 kW (335 panels)
Annual saving
£42,000
Payback
5.8 years
Generation
168,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Self-funded with AIA tax relief. 76% self-consumption. Owner used the install to win a Tier-1 supply contract requiring renewable energy disclosure.

90 kW install on a Cardiff Bay creative agency office

A 60-person digital marketing agency in a converted warehouse near Cardiff Bay. Existing electricity bill £24,000/year. Founders wanted client-visible sustainability commitment for ESG-mandated clients.

System
90 kW (167 panels)
Annual saving
£17,500
Payback
6.7 years
Generation
82,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Asset finance over 7 years — cash-flow positive month one. Lobby display shown to all visitors. Featured in three client pitch decks within first year.

550 kW ground-mount install on a Lincolnshire agricultural processor

A family-run vegetable processing and packing facility outside Spalding. Electricity spend £165,000/year. Significant unused field area adjacent to packhouse. PV economics complicated by seasonal load (peaks in harvest October-March).

System
550 kW ground-mount (1,015 panels)
Annual saving
£105,000
Payback
5.7 years
Generation
525,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Combined planning permission and DNO connection. AIA + 7-year asset finance. 65% self-consumption (lower self-consumption than rooftop due to seasonal load profile, but offset by larger array making PVSyst yield superior).

125 kW install on a Brighton seafront hotel

A 78-room independent hotel on the Brighton seafront. Listed building (Grade II) with rear roof installation possible. £58,000/year electricity spend. Strong daytime baseload from kitchens, hot water, and HVAC.

System
125 kW (231 panels, rear roof only)
Annual saving
£26,500
Payback
7.1 years
Generation
110,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Conservation Officer pre-application consultation. Black-on-black panels chosen for visual minimisation. PPA route chosen — zero capex, immediate savings. Featured in Trip Advisor reviews as a sustainability differentiator.

720 kW install on a Coventry automotive Tier-1 supplier

A 240-employee precision-machining facility in Coventry supplying Jaguar Land Rover. £412,000/year electricity spend on 2-shift operation. JLR Net Zero supply chain mandate required Scope 2 reduction by 2027.

System
720 kW (1,330 panels, profiled steel roof)
Annual saving
£186,000
Payback
4.8 years
Generation
684,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

IETF Phase 3 grant £198,000 (28% intensity). 84% self-consumption from 2-shift baseload. AIA tax relief on residual capex. Retained Tier-1 status on JLR programme worth £3.4m/yr.

480 kW install on a Stoke-on-Trent ceramics manufacturer

A heritage ceramics manufacturer at Etruria. 180 staff, two kilns + drying tunnels running 24/5. Electricity spend £298,000/year. SIC 23 eligible for IETF, but planning constraints due to Stoke-on-Trent industrial heritage conservation area.

System
480 kW (888 panels, ground-mount + rooftop combined)
Annual saving
£118,000
Payback
5.2 years
Generation
430,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

IETF deployment grant £142,000 combined with electric-dryer replacement. Combined project total carbon reduction 312 tCO2/yr. Conservation officer pre-app secured rooftop consent within 8 weeks.

210 kW install on a Glasgow self-storage facility

A 4-storey self-storage operator near Glasgow Airport. Low electricity demand (£18,000/yr) but large flat roof (3,200 sqm). Owner saw the asset as a renewable revenue play rather than a bill-reduction play.

System
210 kW (388 panels, flat roof ballasted)
Annual saving
£24,000 (incl. £19k SEG export revenue)
Payback
6.4 years
Generation
180,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Octopus Outgoing Fixed-rate SEG contract 15p/kWh for 15 years locked in. Low self-consumption (24%) made this an export-dominated play. Roof asset uplift estimated £180k by CBRE valuation.

850 kW install on a Liverpool food production plant

A ready-meal manufacturer near Liverpool Port supplying UK supermarkets. 320 staff, 24/7 operation. £685,000/year electricity (mainly refrigeration + cooking + sterilisation). SIC 10 eligible for IETF.

System
850 kW (1,575 panels, profiled steel + canopy)
Annual saving
£218,000
Payback
4.9 years
Generation
765,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

IETF Phase 3 deployment grant £224,000 (29% intensity). Combined with battery storage 500 kWh (Tesla Powerpack). 92% self-consumption due to 24/7 refrigeration baseload. Total carbon reduction 156 tCO2/yr.

95 kW install on a Manchester Trafford Park engineering firm

A 48-staff precision metalwork firm at Trafford Park. £52,000/year electricity. Pre-2000 building required asbestos-cement roof replacement first.

System
95 kW (176 panels, post-asbestos replacement)
Annual saving
£23,500
Payback
6.1 years
Generation
88,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Combined roof replacement (£64k) + PV install (£87k) on single scaffolding event. AIA covered 25% of combined capex. Asbestos waste managed under HSE-compliant pathway. Roof structural calc verified for 25-year PV life.

420 kW PSDS-funded install on a Bristol secondary school

A multi-academy trust secondary school in Bristol. 1,400 pupils. £165,000/year electricity. Salix PSDS Phase 3b application combined solar + LED retrofit + air-source heat pump.

System
420 kW (778 panels, 4 roof sections)
Annual saving
£94,000 (modelled, year 1)
Payback
0 years
Generation
378,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Salix PSDS 100% grant funded £1.4m combined-measure project. Solar share £580k. Carbon savings 252 tCO2/yr verified at year-one audit. Combined project lifted school EPC from D to A.

180 kW install on a Reading data centre

A 4 MW colocation data centre near Reading. £2.1m/year electricity. Tenant Scope 3 reduction mandate. Limited roof space; ground-mount on adjacent unused car park area.

System
180 kW solar canopy carport over 64-space car park
Annual saving
£46,000
Payback
6.8 years
Generation
162,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Solar carport + 22 EV charging points combined deployment. Sustainability reporting line item in colocation contract. Local council fast-track planning (Reading 2030 net zero target). OZEV Workplace Charging Scheme £8,400 grant.

65 kW install on a Norwich care home

A 60-bed residential care home in Norwich. £38,000/year electricity (heavy laundry + 24/7 baseload). CQC-registered. Owner family planned to hold the property for 20+ years.

System
65 kW (120 panels, single roof + slim battery 30 kWh)
Annual saving
£15,500
Payback
6.4 years
Generation
58,000 kWh/yr

Key Outcome

Combined PV + 30 kWh battery storage. 91% self-consumption thanks to overnight resident load smoothed by battery. CQC notification managed pre-install. No resident disruption during 5-day rooftop install programme.

Specialist Sister Sites

Commercial Solar Across the UK

A network of specialist UK commercial solar sites — each focused on a sector or region we know inside out.

For multi-site portfolios and large industrial estates, talk to UK commercial solar specialists.

Production unit or factory? See our sister specialist site for solar PV for manufacturing facilities.

Distribution or 3PL? Talk to our specialist team for warehouse rooftop solar.

Hotel, conference venue, or restaurant chain? See commercial solar for hospitality.

Multi-academy trust or independent school? Visit solar for schools and academies.

Need capital-light finance? Our finance specialists at commercial solar finance and PPA.

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