Solar for factories and manufacturing
Manufacturing sites are an excellent match for solar. The combination of high continuous daytime electrical loads, large industrial roof areas, and the increasing demand from customers for low-carbon supply chains makes solar one of the highest-return investments most factories can make.
We have installed solar at metal-fabrication works, food production sites, plastics manufacturers, automotive component plants, and a range of other industrial operations across Wales.
Manufacturing load profiles and solar matching
Heavy machinery, compressors, motors, ovens and process equipment drive most manufacturing electrical demand. For a typical single-shift operation, solar generation aligns almost perfectly with consumption: the array fires up as the shift starts at 7 or 8 in the morning and peaks just as production reaches full throughput. Self-consumption rates of eighty-five percent or higher are normal.
For two-shift operations, solar still covers a substantial proportion of total demand, with the morning shift particularly well-matched. For 24/7 sites, the addition of even modest battery storage transforms the economics by capturing excess midday generation for use through the night shift.
Three-phase machinery and electrical infrastructure
Manufacturing sites typically have three-phase supplies with substantial available capacity. This makes solar connection straightforward in most cases, with the inverters feeding directly into the existing main distribution board. We always assess available capacity at the design stage to confirm the array size does not require a supply upgrade.
For sites with on-site substations and dedicated transformers, connection options become more flexible and larger arrays can often be accommodated without the protracted DNO process required for smaller commercial buildings.
Power quality, motors and harmonics
Factories with variable-speed drives, large motors, or sensitive electronic process equipment sometimes experience power quality concerns when adding solar. Modern Tier 1 inverters are excellent at managing harmonics, but for sensitive installations we conduct power quality measurements before and after commissioning to confirm there are no issues.
Process heat and the hybrid energy site
Many manufacturing sites have substantial heat as well as electrical demand. While solar PV addresses electrical loads directly, it can also support process heat decarbonisation when combined with heat pumps or thermal storage. For sites considering such a transition, planning solar capacity with future heat-pump loads in mind avoids expensive retrofitting later.
Frequently asked questions
Will solar affect our machinery's power quality?
Properly specified Tier 1 inverters do not introduce harmonics or other power quality issues that would affect motors or VSDs. We commission with power quality verification for sensitive installations.
How does this affect our customer sustainability reporting?
Generating your own renewable power directly reduces your reported Scope 2 emissions, with documented MWh figures available from the solar monitoring system for inclusion in customer ESG reports.
Can we expand the system in stages?
Yes, particularly if planned from the outset. We often design factory installations with modular expansion in mind so that capacity can grow alongside production.
What about night-shift operations?
Solar alone benefits day shifts most. For multi-shift operations we recommend pairing solar with battery storage so generation can be time-shifted into the night shift.
Real numbers from Welsh manufacturing installations
A typical 350kW solar installation on a single-shift Welsh manufacturing site generates roughly 320,000 units per year and saves approximately £80,000 to £100,000 on commercial electricity bills at current tariff levels. Payback at this scale routinely falls in the four to six year range, and once paid back the system continues delivering effectively free power for another two decades.
Larger industrial sites with multi-megawatt loads benefit from correspondingly larger arrays. The biggest constraint at scale is usually grid connection capacity rather than roof area, which is why early DNO engagement is so important on industrial projects. We often submit DNO applications within days of the initial site visit to give grid approval the longest possible runway alongside the rest of the project programme.
Compatibility with ISO 50001 and energy management systems
For manufacturing sites accredited to ISO 50001, solar generation integrates naturally into the existing energy management framework. Generation data feeds into the energy review process, supporting evidence of significant energy use improvements and management commitment to energy performance. We provide the monitoring infrastructure needed to support 50001 reporting as standard on all manufacturing installations.
Shift patterns and storage sizing
The right battery size for a manufacturing site depends heavily on shift patterns. Single-shift day operations rarely need storage at all because solar generation matches consumption closely. Two-shift operations benefit from modest storage to feed the late afternoon and evening shift. Continuous operations benefit most from larger storage to capture midday generation peaks for use through the night shift. We model storage economics carefully against your specific shift pattern rather than relying on rules of thumb that often over-specify battery capacity for the actual return delivered.
Industrial export tariffs and surplus generation
For manufacturing sites with seasonal load variations, summer holiday shutdowns or production downturns can create periods where solar generation significantly exceeds onsite demand. We design systems to handle these surplus periods efficiently, including export limiting where appropriate and Smart Export Guarantee tariff registration to capture income from the unavoidable exports. For larger manufacturing sites, Power Purchase Agreements with commercial buyers can deliver materially higher export revenue than the standard SEG rates.