Solar Panels for Data Centres
Commercial solar installation for data centres. Reduce PUE, offset cooling loads, meet sustainability targets. Free site survey across the UK.
Data centres consume enormous amounts of electricity 24/7. Commercial solar with battery storage helps reduce costs, improve sustainability credentials, and meet customer demands for green computing.
500kW-5MW
Typical System
20-40%
Energy Offset
15-20%
ROI
Why Data Centres Need Solar
With energy representing 40-60% of operating costs, data centres have compelling reasons to invest in solar generation.
Data Centre Solutions
We work with colocation facilities, hyperscale operators, and enterprise data centres to design solar solutions that maximise ROI whilst meeting operational requirements.
Get Your Data Centre Solar Assessment
Request a comprehensive assessment of solar potential for your data centre facility.
Available Across the UK
We install solar panels for data centres in all major UK cities and regions.
Highlights
- Rooftop installations on data halls
- Ground mounted arrays on campus land
- Car park solar canopies
- Battery storage integration
- Grid services and demand response
- PPA and direct ownership options
- Campus-wide energy analysis
- Multiple installation options
- PPA and ownership comparison
- Grid services revenue assessment
Ready to Reduce Your Energy Costs?
Join hundreds of UK businesses already benefiting from commercial solar. Get your free site survey and quote today.
MCS Certified | 25-Year Warranty | Nationwide Coverage
Commercial Solar for Data Centres: Meeting the Energy Challenge
Data centres are among the UK's most electricity-intensive commercial operations — consuming between 300 and 3,000 kWh per square metre per year. The combination of server cooling, UPS systems, lighting and office infrastructure means data centres operate 24/7 at high load. Traditional solar's limitation for data centres is that generation only occurs during daylight hours, while consumption continues through the night.
The solution adopted by UK data centre operators is a hybrid approach: on-site solar generation paired with battery storage and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for guaranteed renewable supply. On-site solar typically covers 10-30% of a data centre's electricity consumption; the remainder is procured through corporate PPAs or renewable tariffs. The combination allows data centres to achieve genuine 24/7 renewable energy claims rather than annual matching.
| Data Centre Scale | Typical Solar System | Covers | Annual Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (1-5 MW IT load) | 500 kWp-1 MWp | 5-15% of consumption | GBP130,000-GBP260,000 |
| Medium (5-20 MW IT load) | 1-3 MWp | 3-8% of consumption | GBP260,000-GBP780,000 |
| Large (20-100 MW IT load) | 3-10 MWp | 1-5% of consumption | GBP780,000-GBP2.6m |
| Edge data centre (100-500 kW IT load) | 100-300 kWp | 15-30% of consumption | GBP26,000-GBP78,000 |
Estimates at 28p/kWh. Data centres typically self-consume near 100% of on-site generation.
Data Centre Solar: Regulatory Context
The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) Phase 3 (2023) mandates ESOS audits for qualifying large businesses — including most data centre operators above certain size thresholds. ESOS audits regularly identify on-site solar as a cost-effective energy saving opportunity. Under ESOS Phase 3, failure to implement identified opportunities must be actively justified.
Data centres are also subject to MEES regulations if they occupy let commercial premises, SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) for large companies, and increasingly, contractual ESG requirements from hyperscale cloud customers who demand 100% renewable energy matching from their colocation providers.
- ✓Grid connection: data centres typically connect at 11kV or 33kV -- solar generation fed through dedicated LV switchboard
- ✓DNO applications: G99 required for all commercial solar systems above 50 kWp; large systems may require transmission-level assessment
- ✓Battery storage: essential for data centres wanting to maximise renewable contribution beyond daylight hours
- ✓Hydrogen integration: emerging option for data centres with space for electrolyser and storage
- ✓PPA combination: on-site solar + offsite PPA is the standard approach to 100% renewable matching
Commercial Solar for Data Centres: Meeting the Energy Challenge
Data centres are among the UK's most electricity-intensive commercial operations — consuming between 300 and 3,000 kWh per square metre per year. The combination of server cooling, UPS systems, lighting and office infrastructure means data centres operate 24/7 at high load. Traditional solar's limitation for data centres is that generation only occurs during daylight hours, while consumption continues through the night.
The solution adopted by UK data centre operators is a hybrid approach: on-site solar generation paired with battery storage and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for guaranteed renewable supply. On-site solar typically covers 10-30% of a data centre's electricity consumption; the remainder is procured through corporate PPAs or renewable tariffs. The combination allows data centres to achieve genuine 24/7 renewable energy claims rather than annual matching.
| Data Centre Scale | Typical Solar System | Covers | Annual Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (1-5 MW IT load) | 500 kWp-1 MWp | 5-15% of consumption | GBP130,000-GBP260,000 |
| Medium (5-20 MW IT load) | 1-3 MWp | 3-8% of consumption | GBP260,000-GBP780,000 |
| Large (20-100 MW IT load) | 3-10 MWp | 1-5% of consumption | GBP780,000-GBP2.6m |
| Edge data centre (100-500 kW IT load) | 100-300 kWp | 15-30% of consumption | GBP26,000-GBP78,000 |
Estimates at 28p/kWh. Data centres typically self-consume near 100% of on-site generation.
Data Centre Solar: Regulatory Context
The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) Phase 3 (2023) mandates ESOS audits for qualifying large businesses — including most data centre operators above certain size thresholds. ESOS audits regularly identify on-site solar as a cost-effective energy saving opportunity. Under ESOS Phase 3, failure to implement identified opportunities must be actively justified.
Data centres are also subject to MEES regulations if they occupy let commercial premises, SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) for large companies, and increasingly, contractual ESG requirements from hyperscale cloud customers who demand 100% renewable energy matching from their colocation providers.
- ✓Grid connection: data centres typically connect at 11kV or 33kV -- solar generation fed through dedicated LV switchboard
- ✓DNO applications: G99 required for all commercial solar systems above 50 kWp; large systems may require transmission-level assessment
- ✓Battery storage: essential for data centres wanting to maximise renewable contribution beyond daylight hours
- ✓Hydrogen integration: emerging option for data centres with space for electrolyser and storage
- ✓PPA combination: on-site solar + offsite PPA is the standard approach to 100% renewable matching
Commercial Solar for Data Centres: Meeting the Energy Challenge
Data centres are among the UK's most electricity-intensive commercial operations — consuming between 300 and 3,000 kWh per square metre per year. The combination of server cooling, UPS systems, lighting and office infrastructure means data centres operate 24/7 at high load. Traditional solar's limitation for data centres is that generation only occurs during daylight hours, while consumption continues through the night.
The solution adopted by UK data centre operators is a hybrid approach: on-site solar generation paired with battery storage and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for guaranteed renewable supply. On-site solar typically covers 10-30% of a data centre's electricity consumption; the remainder is procured through corporate PPAs or renewable tariffs. The combination allows data centres to achieve genuine 24/7 renewable energy claims rather than annual matching.
| Data Centre Scale | Typical Solar System | Covers | Annual Saving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (1-5 MW IT load) | 500 kWp-1 MWp | 5-15% of consumption | GBP130,000-GBP260,000 |
| Medium (5-20 MW IT load) | 1-3 MWp | 3-8% of consumption | GBP260,000-GBP780,000 |
| Large (20-100 MW IT load) | 3-10 MWp | 1-5% of consumption | GBP780,000-GBP2.6m |
| Edge data centre (100-500 kW IT load) | 100-300 kWp | 15-30% of consumption | GBP26,000-GBP78,000 |
Estimates at 28p/kWh. Data centres typically self-consume near 100% of on-site generation.
Data Centre Solar: Regulatory Context
The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) Phase 3 (2023) mandates ESOS audits for qualifying large businesses — including most data centre operators above certain size thresholds. ESOS audits regularly identify on-site solar as a cost-effective energy saving opportunity. Under ESOS Phase 3, failure to implement identified opportunities must be actively justified.
Data centres are also subject to MEES regulations if they occupy let commercial premises, SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) for large companies, and increasingly, contractual ESG requirements from hyperscale cloud customers who demand 100% renewable energy matching from their colocation providers.
- ✓Grid connection: data centres typically connect at 11kV or 33kV -- solar generation fed through dedicated LV switchboard
- ✓DNO applications: G99 required for all commercial solar systems above 50 kWp; large systems may require transmission-level assessment
- ✓Battery storage: essential for data centres wanting to maximise renewable contribution beyond daylight hours
- ✓Hydrogen integration: emerging option for data centres with space for electrolyser and storage
- ✓PPA combination: on-site solar + offsite PPA is the standard approach to 100% renewable matching