In a boost for the Government’s ‘Rooftop Revolution’, the latest YouGov survey into attitudes towards renewable energy, revealed a resounding 89% public support for solar panels on rooftops of industrial buildings such as warehouses.
The survey showed that solar power on warehouse rooftops was a more popular option than either solar panels on domestic buildings or ground-mounted solar panels and had stronger public support than other forms of renewable energy generation, such as wind turbines or hydro-electric power, although all these forms garnered some degree of approval.
The Government is responding. Its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan last year recognised the “great potential for rooftop solar installation across the UK’s warehouse and industrial sectors.” Then in June this year came the Solar Roadmap policy paper, in which the Government reiterated the imperative to embrace rooftop solar power and directly referenced the role of UKWA in developing and distributing ‘a toolkit for owners and occupiers on the steps needed to install rooftop solar on warehouses.’
Accordingly, UKWA has produced a new Solar Toolkit, with a foreword from Michael Shanks MP, Government Minister for Energy, due to be unveiled at IMHX 2025.
Replacing the original Toolkit, produced in 2022 exclusively for UKWA members, this version will be available to all. Designed to provide comprehensive advice and support to warehouse operations wishing to embrace rooftop solar power, it provides all the latest available information, with a step-by-step guide to planning, installing, insuring, financing and optimising rooftop solar power projects for warehousing.
The Toolkit also signposts to stakeholders – who to speak to and when – and covers the end-to-end lifecycle of a project, with best-practice advice on what to expect at each stage. There are new sections on insurance and fire risk, with a series of case studies that helpfully showcase real-life experiences of solar rooftop installations, while a glossary demystifies the jargon.
In his foreword, Michael Shanks MP kindly thanked the UK Warehousing Association for taking the lead on solar. He paid tribute to our contribution to the Solar Taskforce and endorsed the Toolkit, which he said provides all the resources, support and practical knowhow that owners and occupiers need to take the next step.
“The warehousing sector, the backbone of the UK’s logistical operation, has a fantastic opportunity to slash costs and hedge against volatile markets,” he wrote. “I’m looking forward to strengthening the partnership between government and industry even further, as we work together to unleash a rooftop solar revolution.”
Currently, only around 5% of warehouses have rooftop solar power, but that’s sure to change as warehouse operators look to futureproof their business and save on electricity costs.
The new UKWA Solar Toolkit offers a unique opportunity to join the ‘Rooftop Revolution’!
To find out more about the UKWA Solar Toolkit, join UKWA at IMHX 9-11 September at the NEC Birmingham or contact enquiries@ukwa.org.uk
Clare Bottle
UKWA, CEO
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