Energy specialist highlights potential warehouse benefits of solar panels

The chief marketing officer at renewable energy company Wattstor, Amy Wilson, has asked why so many warehouse spaces are going to waste by not using solar?

Energy is a major warehouse operating cost that is expected to rise further, yet many warehouses aren’t generating on-site energy that could significantly reduce both energy bills and carbon emissions. The issue isn’t a lack of suitable technology; there are several reasons solar panels are missing from warehouse roofs.

Amy Wilson recommends that when new warehouses are planned, rooftop solar panels and storage batteries, together with energy management systems, should be part of the design concept from the beginning. Rooftops should not be seen as simply leftover space, but a valuable asset for solar energy generation that reduces the property’s carbon footprint and energy consumption. She points out that:

“The rooftops are ready. The sector should be too.”

Warehouses are often designed around current energy demand, rather than future energy needs. For instance, when orders are placed with a warehouse equipment supplier for more motorised equipment, the design may not account for future energy requirements. Even when solar panels are included in warehouse design, there are often not enough of them to meet future demand if the warehouse operation grows.

Sometimes the landlord, rather than the warehouse operator, controls the roof and does not encourage the installation of solar panels. On older buildings, equipment to support solar panels may require planning permission. For these reasons, extensive use of rooftop solar panels is restricted.

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