Will solar panels work for my business?

A business property is generally one of the best places to site solar panels! Often with a larger, flatter roof space, as well as hefty energy bills and higher electricity usages during daylight hours, commercial solar panels are a great way for many businesses to save money and cut their carbon footprint.

With utility prices on the rise, businesses from a wide range of sectors are now considering solar panels to lower their overheads. 

Generally speaking, most roofs are suitable, as long as they're not significantly shaded (from trees, power lines or other buildings). A south-facing roof is ideal to capture the most sunlight, but east or west-facing roofs can also be suitable to capture energy fro, sunglight in the morning and evening.

The best roof pitch for solar panels is between 30-40°, but the angle of the roof can fall outside of this range and generate electricity effectively.

Solar panels can still absorb sunlight even when horizontal. However, solar panels which are more below 12º from horizontal won't be able to self-clean and may become less effective as dirt builds up on them.

The more space you have on your roof, the better - so bear in mind any features of your roof that could interrupt the layout of your panels, like vents and skylights.

Your roof will need to be strong enought to support the weight of your panels, which generally isn't a problem - if you have a flat roof, materials like asphalt and metal are ideal, but installing panels to tar or wood roofs is still possible, too.