Solarsense
Solarsense Experience Second to None in UK Solar Market
Solarsense is a leader in design, supply, installation and maintenance of solar panels and other renewable energy technologies in the UK. Hoping to green the energy system by helping to upgrade infrastructure, the company is looking into new opportunities where its experience can be deployed. Founder and MD Stephen Barrett talks to Energy Focus about the bright expertise within Solarsense.
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Installing solar panels on rooftops around the UK is no new phenomenon, but doing so en masse is a challenge that has yet to be overcome. Today, solar panels are cheaper than ever before and solar power remains one of the most affordable green energies to rollout for domestic or commercial applications. But just 3.9% of homes have solar panels installed. The UK government has labelled the industry one with ‘untapped potential’, highlighting commercial rooftops in particular as an area of major opportunity.
The hurdle is designing, procuring, and installing generating capacity in a cost-effective manner. At the same time, alternative solutions are required to complete a system that will protect home or commercial sites from price and supply issues.
To make the most of the potential, expert companies with a deep understanding of this hot market are required. Some reports suggest that existing rooftops and other land, such as car parks, could provide 50GW of energy for the UK market by 2035. One of the leaders in the UK is Solarsense, a rooftop PV specialist with expertise across multiple technologies.
Stephen Barrett, Managing Director
Established 27 years ago by Managing Director Stephen Barrett, Solarsense became a ltd company in 2000. Early in its life, Solarsense was a solar thermal company, using solar panels to create energy for the heating of water. Typically, this reduced electricity costs for property owners. When the obvious success of the solar industry was becoming apparent, Barrett and team adopted the technology, as well as off-grid solar solutions, to create microgrid systems for clients. From there, Solarsense exploded in popularity, growing to become recognised as an industry leader, carrying out projects all over the UK.
For Barrett, the advantage is being able to build a successful business while contributing to the energy transition, and helping property owners to reduce their bills. Since its establishment, the company has completed more than 15,000 residential, commercial, and industrial renewable energy projects.
“We’re mainly an on-roof commercial PV designer and installer,” he tells Energy Focus. “We are focused on carports, batteries, heat pumps, and solar thermal, and we also do larger ground mounts, up to about 5MW. We undertake both commercial and domestic work. We work nationwide but we have a particular focus on the South and Midlands. We certainly want to expand more into the northern area, and into Wales.”
Solarsense infrastructure generates around 80,000MW of clean energy annually, offsetting around 22,500 tonnes of carbon emissions.
The company’s portfolio is littered with examples of prestige work for clients big and small. At St Mary’s Rugby Club, close to Bristol, Solarsense installed a 42kWp solar panel and battery storage system, helping to secure cheaper energy bills and cleaner supply, even in the winter months. In Somerset and Gloucestershire, Solarsense installed a range of technology across five sites for the regional fire and rescue service. The results was a saving of more than 127,000kg of carbon per year, scooping Solarsense a Clean Energy Scheme of the Year award at the Regen Green Energy Awards in 2022. At the Dorset manufacturing site of the Lush Cosmetics – a high-street cosmetic and beauty brand – Solarsense put in a 127kWp solar installation with 378 panels that mitigates more than 36,000kg of carbon emissions annually. At the top end of the scale, Solarsense was called on to install a 171,930kWh system atop the Lidl supermarket in Slough, west of London. More than 47 tonnes of CO2 emissions are mitigated annually thanks to a 550-module solar project.
“Solar PV commercially, for landlords, is a market that is quite young. They are now seeing it as a source of extra income,” explains Barrett. “A lot of tenants are interested but they don’t own the buildings. Bringing that in makes a big difference. We are working with a major landlord who has changed their policy and is now very open to the idea. They have a tenant that wants solar on the roof, we can put that in, and the tenant takes the power – it’s all remotely monitored so everyone knows how much they are paying. The tenant gets green power and it’s a nice model. That engagement from landlords is what was missing previously.”
TWO DECADES IN
Barrett puts the company’s success down to its experience. “Very few companies go back 20 years in this field,” he says. “We are probably the most experienced installation company out there and we have completed a lot of the ‘firsts’. We did the first scheme under the government feed in tariff. We did the first large scale roof at Glastonbury festival site, Worthy Farm. We did the first large scale solar car port.”
He is ambitious about the future and has set out a clear growth path for Solarsense to continue building on the success it has achieved to date. Traditional solar systems will be rolled out, but Barrett says solar carports are set to become very popular in the future.
“As roofs get filled up with solar, and as the demand grows – particularly with electric car charging coming in – we do expect to see growth. It makes sense to cover car parks with solar carports and it can generate a lot of power.”
Solar carports create additional space for PV panels and create investable space from what would otherwise be unproductive. They can protect vehicles, keeping them cool in the summer and charged (for EVs with relevant charging connectivity). They also help to make a clear and obvious statement about environmental ambitions to employees and external stakeholders. There are also incentives and schemes in place to assist companies to rollout carports where applicable.
“Our expansion into solar carports is something we are particularly excited about,” Barrett says.
As the company’s reputation and service portfolio grows, so will its engagement within the communities where it operates. Barrett and team of 45 people have long followed the belief that giving back is an essential criterion for successful businesses. A robust corporate responsibility culture sees Solarsense the recipient of many awards and, longer-term, advancing the goals of the business – to drive the uptake of clean energy in the UK.
“We work a lot with charities and we are installing systems on a number of charity buildings and hospices,” says Barrett. “We have also partnered with Rainforest Concern and donate a percentage of income from every large-scale installation to the charity, helping to protect rare rainforest habitat in the Tropical Andes, one of the most biodiverse but threatened regions on the planet.”
Helios House, the company’s HQ, is a centre of excellence for renewable energy, sustainability, and biodiversity, where seminars and demonstrations are held to showcase possibilities. “We are proud of the ‘firsts’ we have completed and we were happy to win ‘Clean Energy Contractor of the Year’ for the second time at the Solar & Storage Awards. We’ve won more than 20 industry awards now and we try to win something each year – we’re very proud of that,” smiles Barrett. “Our focus is very specialist – we do a lot for Duchy of Cornwall and the Windsor Crown Estates.”
‘SET TO BOOM’
To ensure longevity and resilience in the systems it installs, Solarsense looks to work alongside the world’s best equipment suppliers. Innovative and known for quality, but also able to supply in the right quantities at the right time, are the key elements Barrett looks for in a partner.
“We procure on a case-by-case basis and we always look for Tier 1 suppliers. We work with companies from all over the world, especially the UK, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Norway, and elsewhere across Europe.
“We did face big shortages and we did have to bulk buy, but it has settled down,” he says of the supply chain turbulence felt post-Covid. “Right now, we don’t face any major stock challenges.”
In the UK, CoolSky is a partner for Solarsense, offering a wide range of products, including control systems, hot water systems, and solar accessories. As official distributor of the Apricus Solar Collector equipment, CoolSky is a vital connector of technologies on the sites where Solarsense delivers infrastructure.
Going forward, the business – which has been growing 30% y-o-y for the past three years – is looking to use its expertise to solve problems in public infrastructure.
“Solar carports, heat pumps, and EV charging industries are set to boom,” says Barrett. “But we are also looking at solar thermal for swimming pools – solar thermal was our original background. Many public pools are being forced to close because of the energy costs required to run. It has been forgotten that solar thermal can be added to PV to create a thorough system that can heat water with much less carbon emissions and less expensive gas. It’s an opportunity that we feel is being missed and one we hope to take advantage of. The government is now giving support to save energy in these pools, and that is key.”
With so much potential across so many different areas, the future is certainly bright for Solarsense. This energy expert is growing quickly, not only because of demand in the industry but because it has a reputation for quality unmatched by others. Reducing costs and going green has never been easier, and Solarsense is the proven and open provider, powering the UK towards a clean energy future.
