Here, Ciaran Cotter Technical Director at Solivus explores further the enormous solar potential for the UK’s unused commercial roof spaces, why it’s time to seize the opportunity, and the emerging role of AI in making renewable assets more lucrative.
It is no surprise that industrial and commercial businesses are embracing sustainability in a big way. With almost a quarter of global energy use attributed to industry, its rapid decarbonisation is a critical component of our net-zero future and remains the subject of new sustainable standards and regulations across the world.
Alongside this is a sharpened focus on energy security. For years, traditional fossil-based systems of energy production and consumption – including oil and gas – have become increasingly expensive. Now, with disrupted energy trading resulting in historic energy price highs, industrial and commercial operators are placing greater emphasis on sustainability to mitigate costs and safeguard against further market volatility.
Solar, a renewable and infinite energy source that creates no harmful greenhouse gas emissions, is a critical enabler of this energy transition. Yet the pace and scale of adoption within the commercial sector remain limited.
The fact is, only a fraction of the enormous vacant roof spaces atop most commercial premises are being utilised for self-generation – but why?
In our experience, the main challenge is finding a suitable solar solution. Although most commercial properties have ample roof space to accommodate solar panels on elevations with sufficient sunlight, not all commercial roofs can withstand the added weight of solar panels. This includes structures such as stadiums, hangars, and warehouses. In fact, estimates indicate that up to 40% of commercial buildings cannot safely support the weight of conventional solar panels.
Structural design and installation complexity can also be an issue. Commercial roofs vary in shape and size, and traditional rigid solar panels do not accommodate this non-standardisation easily. This not only impacts the ease and cost of installation but also the overall efficiency of the solar system.
Innovation leap
However, this is all changing with the arrival of a marked innovation leap in the commercial solar category.
Thanks to advances in technology, the latest generation of innovative lightweight solar panels are a fraction of the weight of conventional panels and have more universal applications for fixing methods which have opened up new roof space opportunities.
The associated benefits of this relatively new opportunity are vast. Foremost, there are the cost gains to be had – and some seriously substantial ones. In fact, by fully utilising the available rooftop space it is estimated that commercial buildings could save £35 billion, with lifetime savings reaching £703 billion. In energy generation terms that translates to 117 TWh of electricity annually. That’s enough to power approximately 30 million homes for a year, more than the number of households we currently have in the UK.
Place this into the context of an increasingly volatile energy market as prices continue to rise and renewable integration poses challenges for grid stability, and self-generation is becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for commercial operations. This is not only in terms of securing energy dependence but, when partnered with storage, through the ability to manage energy costs more effectively by leveraging peak shaving, load shifting and maximisation of solar self-consumption.
Underscoring this all too is the environmental benefit. As leading economies look towards a more sustainable future, we will continue to see the introduction of new decarbonised industry standards and green government demands. The result is increased onus on the environmental measures which can drive efficiencies and optimise energy consumption levels while helping to future proof and maintain greater links to the wider world.
Applying AI
But this is just the beginning. When partnered with artificial intelligence (AI), the next generation of commercial solar, supported by energy storage, will give rise to radical new opportunities in power optimisation for all types of large-scale commercial and industrial facilities.
Inherently, battery energy storage systems can be complex to run because of the wide range of variables involved. For large energy storage projects around the clock, operators will need to keep abreast of everything from solar outputs, weather conditions and seasonality, through to wider market intelligence and demand expectations, using this insight to decide when to charge and discharge the battery in real-time.
The application of AI has the ability to change this. By enabling the ongoing management and analysis of all these highly complex variables in real-time through machine learning, the integration it can deliver a much more effective large-scale solar operation.
Armed with this real-time intelligence, it will become easier for battery management systems to maximise the use of solar energy and bring down peak loads, providing immediate benefits in terms of cost and reliability. As well as increasing renewable integration, the ability to gain better information on consumption as well as supply, also means power flows can be optimised in real-time. It also enables lower operational costs through the ability to detect, isolate and address issues before they escalate, reduce repair time and improve asset optimisation.
Addressing the immense challenge
As we look to the year ahead, it’s astounding to think that there are just five years left in which to meet the United Nation’s (UN) target of reducing emissions by 45% in order to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.
Though not impossible, this is an immense challenge which will require the world to come together to radically change the way it produces and uses energy.
For commercial operators, this means redoubling efforts to eliminate energy waste and embracing the solar self-generation opportunity in order to play a part in helping to achieve a clean energy economy.
Of course, solar is a serious investment. However, the transition to a fossil-fuel free future is happening right now. By taking advantage of this new opportunity to introduce lightweight solar and even harness the potential of AI, commercial and industrial operators can add value throughout the lifecycle of a project, improve their green credentials and build resilience amid an emerging new era where it’s likely to be ‘survival of the greenest.’
Image provided by Solivus
