Our approach
A structured, independent method
Commercial solar goes wrong when it's bought before it's understood. We follow the same disciplined sequence on every engagement, so the decision is made on evidence — not on an installer's enthusiasm.
Solar Strategies is an advisory practice with no product to sell and no installation arm to feed. That single fact shapes everything we do. We're paid for judgement, not for shifting hardware. As a result, our recommendations answer only one question — is this the right decision for you?
The method below runs from the first conversation to the figures in your annual report. You can engage us for the whole process, or for just one stage. That might be, for example, a feasibility study, a second opinion on a PPA, or a tender you need run properly. Either way, the discipline stays the same throughout.
- 01
Discovery
We start with your objectives, estate and constraints — the sites in scope, your load and tariffs, the capital available and the carbon or reporting goals driving the decision.
- 02
Feasibility
Desktop and on-site assessment of each site: roof or land capacity, structural loading, shading, yield and grid headroom — producing an honest go / no-go on viability.
- 03
Business case
We model capex, opex and return on your own data, net of capital allowances, and set out the funding options — outright purchase, lease or PPA — as a board-ready case.
- 04
Procurement
We write the specification, run a fair tender and evaluate bids on a weighted scorecard, so you appoint the right installer on genuinely comparable, auditable terms.
- 05
Delivery assurance
As your client-side adviser we oversee installation, commissioning and hand-over against the specification — holding the contractor to the standard you paid for.
- 06
Optimisation & reporting
After switch-on we monitor performance against the model and produce the carbon and cost evidence your SECR and ESG reporting needs — refining as tariffs and technology change.
Why independence matters
The commercial solar market is crowded with two kinds of "consultant". One kind is installers who dress a sales survey up as advice. The other is large engineering firms that treat solar as a minor sideline. However, neither will give you a straight answer — one that might honestly be "don't do this".
We are. We hold no supplier relationships and earn no commission. Because of that, the feasibility study can recommend against a scheme. We also run the tender in your interest alone. And we review every PPA sitting on your side of the table.
That independence is the whole value of the engagement. It's also the reason our advice stands up to a board, an auditor or an investment committee. A straight answer only carries weight, after all, when nothing is riding on it for us.
Start with a conversation
Most engagements begin with a short, no-obligation consultation about the decision you're facing. Tell us where you are and we'll suggest the right first step.