Why food and drink energy use suits solar
Refrigeration as a baseload
Chillers, cold rooms, blast freezers and refrigerated dispatch areas run day and night, seven days a week. That gives a steady baseload that solar can supply directly whenever it generates. Refrigeration plant also has to work harder when outside temperatures rise, so demand tends to increase on the sunny summer days when panels produce the most. For many food sites, this means very little generation is exported even at weekends.
Process loads by sub-sector
| Sub-sector | Typical electrical loads | Notes for solar |
|---|---|---|
| Food processing and ready meals | Refrigeration, mixers, conveyors, packing lines, compressed air, electric ovens | High daytime load on top of a refrigeration baseload |
| Cold storage and distribution | Refrigeration, rapid-roll doors, forklift charging, lighting | Continuous demand, rising in summer; roofs are often large |
| Bakeries | Ovens, provers, mixers, chillers | Early morning starts; ovens may be gas or electric |
| Breweries | Fermentation cooling (often glycol chillers), pumps, keg and cask washing, canning or bottling lines | Cooling is continuous; brewing days add daytime peaks |
| Distilleries | Pumps, cooling water systems, bottling, warehousing | Stills are often steam or gas heated, so electrical load depends on the process |
| Dairies and drinks bottling | Pasteurisation, chilling, filling lines, compressed air | Often multi-shift with high self-consumption |
Where heat is supplied by gas or steam, solar PV only reduces the electrical share of the energy bill. If you are planning to electrify cooking, washing or other heat processes, include that in the survey brief, because it can justify a larger array.
The combination of high baseload and daytime peaks also makes battery storage worth modelling, especially where capacity charges are significant or a large refrigeration defrost cycle causes short peaks.
The site and building issues a food and drink survey checks
Insulated panel roofs and fire risk
Many food factories and cold stores are built from insulated sandwich panels. Some older panels have combustible foam cores, which insurers treat as a significant fire risk. Adding solar to these roofs needs careful design: cable routes, isolation, separation from compartment walls and the condition of the panels all matter. Insurers commonly refer to the RC62 recommendations, and some will set their own conditions. Talk to your insurer early; our fire safety and insurance guide covers the questions to ask.
Keeping the thermal envelope intact
On a cold store, every roof penetration is a potential path for heat and moisture into the chilled space, which can lead to condensation and ice build-up. Fixing systems that clamp to the roof profile without penetrating it are often preferred. The survey records the roof panel type, its manufacturer if known, and any warranty conditions that restrict fixings. Where loads are a concern, a structural survey confirms what the roof can carry.
Hygiene zones and contamination control
Food sites divide production into zones, from low-risk areas to high-care and high-risk areas. Work on the roof above production areas has to avoid any risk of debris, swarf from drilling or dust falling into those zones, and cable routes must not pass through high-care areas unless they meet the site's hygiene standards. Most sites also operate glass and brittle plastics policies. Although panels sit outside on the roof, the installer's method statement will need to address glass handling, breakages and how materials are moved around the site. Your technical manager should review the proposals, and you may want to inform your certification body before audits.
Roof plant and ammonia systems
Refrigeration condensers, evaporative coolers and extraction units often sit on the roof. Sites with ammonia refrigeration have plant rooms and relief vents that need clear space and safe access. The survey maps these so the array does not obstruct maintenance or emergency access.
Connection and continuity
Production often runs continuously, so the electrical tie-in must be planned for a period when the relevant board can be safely isolated, or designed to avoid interrupting refrigeration. Larger arrays need G99 approval, and the survey checks the site's supply capacity and transformer if it has an HV connection.
Finance and ownership questions for food and drink businesses
Because refrigeration keeps self-consumption high, food and drink sites often see savings close to their own unit rate on most of their generation. The illustrative worked example on our payback page assumes 80% self-consumption; many food sites may do better than that, but your own data is what counts.
- Capital purchase: solar is special rate expenditure for capital allowances. Check the treatment with your accountant.
- Power purchase agreement: suits businesses that want to keep capital for production lines or refrigeration upgrades.
- Leased sites: many cold stores and processing units are leased, so the landlord's consent and the remaining lease term affect the choice; see commercial landlords.
Customer reporting is often a factor too. Retailers and food service customers increasingly ask suppliers about energy use and emissions. On-site generation can support that reporting; our solar and carbon reporting guide explains how it is usually accounted for.
What to have ready for a food and drink survey
- 12 months of half-hourly data for each supply
- Details of refrigeration plant, including refrigerant type, condensers and defrost cycles
- A site plan showing hygiene zones and restricted areas
- Roof panel type, age, manufacturer and any warranty details
- Insurer contact and any existing policy conditions on the roof
- Production schedules and any planned shutdowns
- Plans to electrify heat processes or expand cold storage
Request a free survey and the surveyor will plan the visit around your site rules.
Frequently asked questions
Can solar go on a cold store roof without damaging the insulation?
Usually, with the right fixing system. Many cold store roofs use insulated panels where penetrations risk condensation and ice in the chilled space, so systems that clamp onto the roof profile without piercing it are often preferred. The survey identifies the panel type and any warranty limits, and the installer designs the fixings to keep the thermal envelope intact.
Will installing solar affect our food safety certification?
It should not, provided the work is properly controlled. The installer's method statement needs to address contamination risks, glass handling, cable routes and access to production areas, and your technical manager should review it. Some sites inform their certification body or auditor about significant works. Keeping records of the controls used makes the next audit straightforward.
Our roof is made of insulated panels. Will our insurer accept solar?
Many insurers will, but some have specific conditions for insulated panel roofs, particularly older panels with combustible cores. They often refer to the RC62 recommendations on fire safety. Speak to your insurer before committing, share the survey findings, and ask what they will need to see in the final design and installation records.
Is solar worth it for a brewery or distillery?
Often, because fermentation cooling, pumps and packaging lines create daytime and continuous electrical demand. The case depends on how much of your energy is electrical; if brewing or distilling heat comes from gas or steam, solar only addresses the electrical share. The survey uses your half-hourly data to show what the array would supply.
Does refrigeration really increase in summer?
Generally, yes. Refrigeration plant rejects heat to the outside air, and it works harder as outside temperatures rise. That means demand tends to be higher on warm, sunny days, which is when solar panels produce the most. Your half-hourly data will show how strongly your own site follows this pattern.
Related pages
Battery storageWhen a commercial battery pays: storing surplus solar, time of use tariffs, peak shaving, sizing from half-hourly data, illustrative costs, safety and siting.- Fire safety and insuranceRC62 in plain terms, insurer questions, DC isolation, cable routing, separation from rooflights and fire breaks, and inspection regimes for commercial rooftop solar.
- Structural surveyWhat a structural assessment for rooftop solar checks: dead loads, wind uplift and snow, purlins and rafters, ballast, and when an engineer's report is needed.
- Solar and carbon reportingHow on-site solar affects Scope 2 emissions, location-based and market-based reporting, SECR, carbon reduction plans, supplier questionnaires and REGOs, in plain terms.
Solar paybackA worked payback example for a 100 kWp system, the factors that move the result most, the effect of tax relief, and a calculator to try your own figures.- WarehousesLarge unshaded roofs and daytime shift work make many warehouses a strong fit for rooftop solar, provided the roof structure, rooflights and lease terms stack up.