Flat Roof Commercial Solar in Manchester

Why flat commercial roofs are well-suited to solar

Flat roofs give the flexibility that pitched roofs don't, because panels can be mounted pointing south regardless of how the building is oriented. That's why retail units, warehouses, factories and commercial properties with large flat roofs tend to generate substantial energy throughout the day.

Many commercial buildings have flat roof spaces that aren't being used for anything. Solar turns them into something that pays back within a few years and continues generating for decades after that.

A real flat-roof example

Ashley is currently designing a system for a carpet and interior design warehouse in Bolton with a large flat roof. They spend £700 a month on electricity. Ashley's 50-panel flat-roof design is sized to cover a large share of that daytime load, with the generation and payback figures modelled from their own consumption. A larger 115-panel option covers both the flat roof and the pitched sections, with the generation and payback figures modelled from their own consumption.

That's the typical pattern: commercial installations can cover a large share of daytime consumption, and we model the reduction and the payback from your own bills rather than quoting an average.

Who you'd be hiring

Ashley Merritt is the named director of Renegade Solar. He's been an electrician for 20+ years, ten of those on commercial projects, including electrical work on industrial sites such as the Jersey Recycling Centre.

For a commercial flat-roof job, the practical implication is that the person who walks your roof, the person who quotes the job and the person on site for the install are all the same person. Ashley personally surveyed the Bolton roof and personally designed both the 50-panel and 115-panel options for that client. The same approach applies to your job.

Why flat roofs work brilliantly

The advantages compared to pitched roofs:

Panels point south regardless of how the building is oriented, because they're mounted on tilted frames at the optimum angle, so a building running east-west still produces like one running north-south
System design tends to be simpler, since large unobstructed flat roofs can take bigger arrays
Access for installation and any future maintenance is easier
Visual impact is lower, because panels on a flat roof typically aren't visible from ground level

For commercial solar on the right building, that combination is hard to beat.

What kinds of buildings work

Ashley typically designs flat-roof commercial systems for:

Warehouses and distribution buildings, which are usually owner-occupied with large roofs and daytime electricity use (dedicated page)
Retail units such as cash-and-carry, furniture stores, carpet warehouses and supermarkets
Factories and industrial units with three-phase supplies and high consumption (dedicated page)
Hotels and hospitality properties where kitchens, heating and laundry run through the day (dedicated page)
Owner-occupied office buildings

What about pitched roofs?

If you have pitched roofs as well as flat ones, those can usually be incorporated. The Bolton job is a good example, with the larger design using both flat and pitched sections to maximise generation.

For domestic garages, extensions, outbuildings and smaller mixed roofs, see the solar panels on flat roofs page. The same basic principle applies - the roof does not have to face south if the mounting system can set the panel angle properly - but the survey and payback are worked out differently for a home than for a warehouse.

What you need to qualify

The main requirement is that you own the building. You'll also need high enough electricity consumption to give a strong return (the more you spend, the faster the payback) and a plan to keep the property long-term.

Because commercial properties consume electricity during the day when solar generation is at its peak, you use nearly every kilowatt-hour your panels produce, so you don't need battery storage to make the numbers work. That dramatically improves the return on investment.

Credentials

MCS-certified installer (NAP-66870)
Octopus Energy Trusted Partner
20+ years' experience as an electrician, including 10 years on commercial projects
9.96/10 on Checkatrade from 164+ verified reviews