Solar for data centres, UK-wide analysis
Data centres with enormous 24/7 baseload, solar only ever covers a fraction of demand but grid-offset value is strong.
Active UK businesses
0
in data centres
Typical system
1000-10000 kWp
rooftop range
Solar planning 12m
2
0% approved
Self-consumption
95%
typical on-site use
Why data centres are a strong solar fit
The data centre sector typically sees 95% of solar generation consumed on-site, which is the single biggest driver of PPA economics. Higher self-consumption means more of the solar output displaces expensive grid electricity (currently ~28p/kWh for commercial tariffs) rather than exporting at the lower SEG rate (~5p/kWh).
A typical 1000-kWp rooftop system on a data centre site generates around 900 MWh per year, covering a meaningful share of typical sector demand and locking in ~25 years of price-certain electricity via a PPA structure.
Typical data centre solar economics
Mid-size project
1000 kWp
~900 MWh/year generation
Large project
10000 kWp
~9.0 GWh/year generation
Typical PPA term
25 yrs
long-term grid price hedge
Get an indicative quote, data centre solar
Tell us about your site, we'll come back within 1 working day with an indicative PPA rate, payback estimate, and what would be needed to take it forward.