Solar Media, the publishers of Solar Power Portal and Inside Clean Energy, have collaborated with module manufacturer Trina Solar to launch a comprehensive guide to the burgeoning UK commercial rooftop market.

The UK’s domestic solar industry has endured a turbulent past year, beset by subsidy cuts and increasing uncertainty. Utility-scale activity is preparing to wind down with the closure of the Renewables Obligation scheme, and the residential rooftop market is currently operating at a run rate of around 30% owing to the feed-in tariff reset.

Statistics released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy this morning show that just 3,700 >4kW systems were installed last month, significantly down on the figure of more than 11,000 recorded a year ago.

But while these sub-sectors have experienced difficulties, the last year has seen the eagerly-awaited emergence of the commercial rooftop market, backed by a number of large UK businesses embracing the technology in a big way.

Major UK businesses such as Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls Royce have sought to complete large rooftops in the past year, while supermarkets Sainsbury’s, M&S and Aldi have also increased their PV portfolios.

And this is without the countless SMEs that have also come to realise the benefits of generating their own electricity on-site.

The ‘Unlocking the Commercial Rooftop Opportunity’ guide has been designed to give installers insight into the mechanics behind a commercial rooftop project, including the types of financial model available to businesses, what generation can be expected, and the importance of bankable technology.

Commercial rooftop specialists EvoEnergy and Your Group have also shared insight into how they completed notable projects for office supplies firm Lyreco and delivery giant DPD respectively.

Richard Rushin, senior sales manager – Europe for Trina Solar and Solar Trade Association board member, said: “We were really pleased to work with Solar Media on this guide, many involved in the UK PV industry are busy mapping out a future without subsidies and this is intended to provide ‘food for thought’ as we all adapt to new market conditions.”

The guide can be downloaded for free by using the below form, or through the Solar Power Portal resource collection which can be found here.

The ‘Unlocking the Commercial Rooftop Opportunity’ guide was produced by Solar Media on behalf of Trina Solar.