Commercial Solar Panels Essex

Why should a company install Solar PV now?

There are several good reasons to engage in a solar PV project, some obvious others less so.

There has never been a better time to start your solar journey, let us guide you through it.

This is an obvious one, but reducing your energy cost overheads to improve company profits is still the main driver of solar projects. Solar does this by providing a proportion of the site energy requirement at far lower cost than the grid price.

Improve the company’s Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) rating so that working with your company is more attractive to other companies looking to reduce their own carbon footprint. This can also help with less tangible benefits such as improved feel-good factor for company employees and staff retention.

Currently the market price for solar equipment is very low, so an ideal time to buy in and enjoy a quick payback period for your initial investment, should this be a CAPEX consideration.

If the system is to be funded rather than outright purchased, there are several finance vehicles that can be taken advantage of to maintain cash at bank or invest into other company expenditures. These include fully funded Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) for large systems over longer time periods or Leasing arrangements over shorter terms or for smaller systems. More details on these below.

Finance

PPA’s are a fully funded solution which requires the client to:

Lease the installation area to the PPA company for the term of the agreement, typically between 15-30 years.
Purchase the energy generated by the system from the PPA company at an agreed rate, below the grid cost, typically £0.10-15p/kWh.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)

The PPA company installs the system at no cost to the client and maintains the system throughout the agreement term. At the end of the term the system is gifted to the client to make use of for its remaining life, which will vary depending on the agreed PPA length to begin with. A solar PV system installed with the best components can last 30 years.

This finance model works with systems over 250kWp in size due to the economy of scale and favouring single roof installations with metal type coverings. There are early buy out options with these types of agreement or if you are selling the business, the PPA can be passed on to the new owner if they are agreeable.

If your buildings roof is in need of replacement, it may be possible to include this within the PPA proposal along with the solar PV installation, please get in touch for more information on this.

Reasons to lease:

Fully tax deductible
Preserve your capital to invest in other areas of the business
Other credit lines remain unaffected
VAT is only charged on the monthly payments
Repayments are fixed, so budgeting is easy

Leasing

Leasing agreements are effectively finance secured on the asset and typically are taken out over a 1–7-year period and when energy savings are considered, can provide a cash flow neutral or even positive effect, depending on the site-specific installation costs.

Even if the system is slightly cashflow negative over the term, this still may be preferable to using the company’s capital to purchase the system outright from the beginning and waiting for the payback period to see a return.

Once the lease ends the system can either remain in the ownership of the lease company for peppercorn payment or ownership transferred to the client.

Why choose MD for your installation?

MD Electrical Construction Renewables Ltd was established in 2013. We are a large team of fully qualified NICEIC electricians. We are experienced in all aspects of electrical construction installation and repairs for commercial, industrial and domestic system installation, maintenance and repairs. Our services include solar panels and battery installation, electric vehicle charging points, access control systems, data installations, landlords safety certificates and more.

We have dedicated an entire team to the renewable sector as we believe in the technology and the benefits it brings to our clients.

How does the process work? We follow a step by step design process to guide the client from initial enquiry through to project handover, please see notes below:

Free Consultation

We will initially request copies of your electricity consumption information and pricing so that we may use this to form the basis for the design.

Electricity Consumption Request

Initial satellite image design to see what can be achieved with the roof space available.

Satellite Image Design

Booking of a free onsite consultation and review of the existing electrical installation. This will help to fine tune the initial budget costs for the system. We will also guide you through the various equipment options on the market and the warranty types they offer.

System Design

Following the onsite consultation we will update the 3D model, assign the correct inverter for the system size, undertake the AC/DC electrical design and apply the correct framing for the roof type

Budget Costs

We seek to include all costs necessary to install the system from Solar PV equipment, scaffolding, electrical sundries, installation labour and commissioning as part of the budget costs. If the budget costs are agreeable………..

Finance Options

If the budget costs are agreeable, the next step is the detailed design stage to identify costs fully and remove project risks, see below for more detail on this. CAPEX, PPA and Lease

Detailed Design

Should the project be approved for installation, there are several detailed design steps required to be undertaken before installation can commence, these are:

DNO (Distribution Network Operator) Application for the grid connection of the system, this is required for all single-phase systems larger than 3.68 kW and all three phase systems over 10kW. This application can take up to 3 months to be approved, so should be undertaken as soon as possible.
Structural Survey, this is required to ensure that the roof area can accept the additional load being installed to it. If the building designer is available, they may be able to confirm this, alternatively, we can instruct an independent surveyor on your behalf at additional cost.
Drone Survey of the roof area to develop CAD drawings to ensure the system fits. It may also be possible to undertake a physical survey, but this will depend on the roof access available. If the client is in receipt of accurate CAD drawings already, then these may also be used.
Electrical Schematics of the proposed installation and how this will feed into the site supply.
Site meetings to identify compound set up areas, traffic routes and scaffolding requirements.
Development of future roof access systems and costs for this.

Once the detailed design work has been completed and the project risks have been identified and mitigated, the operations team will develop a phase plan for the installation, this includes:

It is our aim to provide a professional experience from project initiation through to handover and we pride ourselves on giving the best advise possible regarding the most appropriate system size and equipment selection.

Procuring materials and arranging delivery of these to site.
Allocating labour to the project
Developing a timeline for the installation and sharing this with the client to ensure that business as usual can continue as far as is practicable.
Arranging the set-up of the site welfare facilities and delivery compound as is appropriate for the site.
Developing the site CDM plan.
Project managing the job with the onsite installation team and quality checking throughout.
Completion of works, O&M pack provided and future maintenance arranged.

Operation & Maintenance

We firmly believe that any equipment that is maintained well will be an invaluable asset to a company and this is never truer than with a solar PV installation.

It is essential that the thought is given to safe future access for roof-based installations as annual cleaning of the solar panels will be required to ensure optimal performance throughout the system life.

Roof access may consist of fixed safety lines, cat ladders and walkways, depending on the roof type. We will advise on this during the detailed design stage and develop an appropriate system with a specialist provider, who will also certify the access system each year.

Solar panel cleaning may be instructed to a specialist cleaning company or undertaken by the client’s own maintenance team, once they have had the correct safety training for roof access systems. We can also arrange this on your behalf as a complete package if instructed.

Apart from keeping the solar panels clean and free from pests, we also advise annual testing of the electrical installation and this is a service we offer in house. This testing involves disconnecting and testing the DC cables from the panels to check for insulation faults, visual inspection of the electrical installation and overall system performance checks.

We can also sign in to the system monitoring platform to look for faults and liaise with the equipment manufacturers on your behalf to resolve issues.

Battery Storage

Generating your own energy is extremely rewarding and you can further optimise the experience by storing excess energy in batteries.

Every business has their own specific operating load profile, it may be 8am-5pm Monday to Friday or 24/7 and 365 days a year. Battery storage can help capture the excess solar that was not able to be used at its exact moment of generation.

If your business operates until 5pm each day, think of all the excess generation in the summer when daylight hours exceed this time. Or if you shut at the weekends, the solar will still be generating, this energy can be used to power your business first thing Monday morning.

Other ways battery storage can be used:

Arbitrage – batteries can be used to purchase energy from the grid when it is cheap, in an off-peak time and then use it later during the peak time to reduce the company’s energy costs. This is especially useful in winter months when the solar PV generation will be lower due to shorter daylight hours.
Peak shaving – if the business has an expensive charge period mid-way through the day, the battery can be instructed to provide extra power at this time in order to reduce the grid demand and therefore the higher charges. Alternatively, perhaps the business needs extra power onsite, but the grid upgrade is prohibitively expensive. In this situation the battery can charge in quieter times and then deliver the extra power when required.
Grid back up through power outages can be achieved with certain battery setups or form part of a complete off grid system.

MD ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION RENEWABLES LTD-EST 2013

Commercial Solar Panels Essex

In Essex, commercial solar panel and battery storage installations have become a smart choice for companies seeking sustainability and cost-effectiveness. As energy prices continue to rise, MD Electrical provides Essex businesses with customised solar and battery storage solutions that meet their specific energy requirements, enabling seamless integration of renewable energy into daily operations.

For Essex businesses, the benefits of solar and battery storage are twofold: reducing energy costs and enhancing environmental impact. By storing generated energy on-site, businesses can reduce their dependence on the grid, helping them maintain stable energy costs even as utility rates fluctuate. Beyond operational savings, solar energy provides an opportunity to build a stronger brand image. Today’s consumers place increasing importance on sustainability, making renewable energy a key factor in attracting eco-conscious clients and partners. MD Electrical offers a range of flexible financing options, including leasing and PPAs, which allow Essex companies to install solar energy systems without large initial investments. With a PPA, businesses pay only for the energy they use, making it an accessible option for those interested in clean energy without the financial burden of upfront costs.

Through MD Electrical’s tailored solutions and expert support, Essex businesses can embrace a sustainable, stable, and financially advantageous future.

Off Grid Systems

Grid connections to new buildings can be expensive, sometimes prohibitively so, if this is the case on your new project we can help. Please get in touch with our design team and we will be happy to advise on budget costs for a full off-grid system.

Commercial Solar Panels Essex

There are several good reasons to engage in a solar PV project, some obvious others less so.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)

Leasing

Should the project be approved for installation, there are several detailed design steps required to be undertaken before installation can commence, these are:

Once the detailed design work has been completed and the project risks have been identified and mitigated, the operations team will develop a phase plan for the installation, this includes:

We firmly believe that any equipment that is maintained well will be an invaluable asset to a company and this is never truer than with a solar PV installation.

Other ways battery storage can be used:

Commercial Solar Panels Essex

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