Yes — cold storage warehouses are the single strongest UK solar PV market. 24/7 refrigeration provides 90%+ self-consumption — the highest of any commercial sector. Combined with high grid retail tariffs (electricity is 25-40% of cold chain opex), solar delivers 4-5 year paybacks and 18-28% IRRs.
Why cold chain economics dominate
Grid electricity is the largest operating cost in cold storage, typically 25-40% of opex. Has risen 40-80% since 2022 with TNUoS/BSUoS network charge increases. 24/7 baseload absorbs essentially all daytime solar generation — minimal SEG export. F-gas Regulation 2014/517 driving refrigeration retrofits creates synergy with solar PV.
Sizing approach
Unusual: roof area is rarely the binding constraint. We size at 100-130% of metered daytime baseload, using F-gas-compliant heat recovery and battery storage to capture residual export.
See more
Cold storage solar detail: /cold-storage-solar/. F-gas synergy: /battery-storage-cold-storage-warehouses/.