Businesses assess solar against energy costs and operating requirements. Daylight generation may match opening hours, but an office, cold store, workshop and seasonal facility have different load patterns.
Start with measured demand
Obtain consumption data at the available time resolution and identify working days, holidays and seasonal shutdowns. Sizing against one peak day can produce substantial surplus during quieter periods.
For example, a hypothetical site needing 12 kW on working days but 2 kW on Sundays does not offer a constant self-consumption opportunity. Model weekly and seasonal changes rather than simply dividing the annual bill by an assumed yield.
Compare architectures
| Option | Main assessment |
|---|---|
| Net Billing | Connection availability and permitted export value |
| Zero Feed-In | Metering, dynamic control and curtailment |
| Battery storage | Later demand and genuine daytime surplus |
| UPS | Continuity for defined critical loads |
Storage does not automatically replace a production-line UPS. Transfer times and power-quality requirements can differ materially. Identify processes that cannot tolerate an interruption before selecting equipment.
Technical and operational constraints
Assess roof structure, relevant fire provisions, switchboards, access and installation scheduling around business operations. Keep planned production expansion, new machinery and shift changes separate from measured present demand.
The design should also identify ownership of the roof and electrical connection, permitted equipment areas and access for future maintenance. A technically suitable array can still require coordination with building owners or site operations.
What management should receive
A useful proposal includes an energy model, financial scenarios, cost exclusions, a schedule with approval dependencies and a monitoring plan. Assign responsibility for alarms and access to production data rather than treating monitoring as an unused dashboard.
Published references include the 25 kW Paleochora fuel station and 350 kW industrial plant. Explore commercial solar services and HEDNO information. Historical installations do not guarantee approval for a new application.
Check business operating patterns
Separate working days, weekends and shutdown periods. A system well matched to weekday midday demand may create substantial surplus when the business is closed. For refrigeration, pumps or production lines, record actual operating hours instead of assuming one annual self-consumption percentage.
When comparing proposals, ask for an installation work plan, required outages, maintenance access and responsibility for monitoring. The lowest equipment price alone does not capture the effect on daily business operations.
Discuss your installation
Send your location, bills, operating hours and available roof space for an individual assessment.
Request an assessment