How to choose the right solar developer?

Eden Sustainable commercial solar installation

Solar power is a rapidly growing industry in the UK, with more and more households, businesses, and utility companies adopting this renewable energy source. When considering what is the right company to work with, it is important to understand what scale your solar project falls in to. Below, we will discuss the different sizes of solar arrays, ranging from residential to utility scale

Residential Scale

>30kWp

Residential solar arrays are designed to provide energy to households. This would normally consist of a few modules on a rooftop or in a garden. The primary focus is to reduce grid energy consumption which will save the homeowner money whilst reducing their carbon footprint. This is more popular with the ever-growing popularity of electric vehicles.

Commercial Scale

30kWp-999kWp ca. 200-7000 sqm

Commercial solar arrays are designed to provide energy to businesses or organizations. These arrays tend to be much larger than residential systems and can consist of hundreds of solar panels mounted on rooftops, car parks, or ground mounted on site or nearby. Commercial solar arrays are suitable for businesses that want to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, improve their environmental credentials and hedge against rising electricity prices which have been prevalent in the past year.

Industrial Scale

700kWp – 5,000kWp ca. 5500sqm- 100,000 sqm

Industrial solar arrays are designed to provide energy to large industrial facilities such as production facilities, warehouses, and packaging plants. These arrays are typically much larger than commercial arrays and can consist of multiple thousands of solar panels mounted on large sheds and nearby open plots of land. Industrial solar arrays are suitable for companies with high energy demands 1GWh and above, that want to improve their energy security through a long-term energy strategy and wish to gain financial security against rapid price changes in the energy market. These businesses are also seeing increasing pressure from their supply chains to demonstrate their commitment to decarbonizing their processes.

Utility Scale

5000kWp+ ca. 100,000 sqm+

Rather than directly wiring to where the energy will be used, utility-scale solar arrays are designed to provide energy to the national grid. These arrays are the largest of solar arrays, consisting of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of ground mounted solar panels, which you will have seen when travelling around the country. Whilst typically owned and operated by energy providers, utility-scale solar arrays are also suitable for companies that want to invest in large-scale renewable energy generation but don’t necessarily have the space on site to accommodate enough solar generation. These arrays can also provide a stable, long-term source of income for the owner through exporting to the grid.

When looking for a provider, it is important to understand what your end goal is to establish who is suitable to help you reach it. Often this is driven by the size of your array and the funding option you wish to choose.

Eden sustainable specialize in large scale commercial and industrial solar. Which is anything from 300kWp+. We offer a range of different finance options including £0 upfront cost, off balance sheet, Power Purchase Agreements (PPA). We have industry leading support from end to end covering initial feasibility, through legals, installation and ongoing operation and maintenance.

If you would like to discuss your options, please contact us.

This blog post was prepared by Ben Westcott.