Decarbonisation for High-Energy Businesses: From Incremental Progress to Real Transformation

Article written by Ortus Energy

Across the UK and beyond, businesses with high electricity consumption are under growing pressure to decarbonise their operations. Rising energy costs, Net Zero commitments, supply chain scrutiny and investor expectations are all converging to make energy strategy a board-level issue. Many organisations have already taken meaningful first steps, but the pace and scale of change now required demands something more fundamental.

There is positive progress to recognise. Energy efficiency upgrades, lighting replacements, building controls optimisation and modest rooftop solar installations have become increasingly common. These initiatives demonstrate intent and deliver genuine savings. However, in many cases they represent incremental improvements rather than the step change required to materially shift energy cost and carbon trajectories.

For energy-intensive organisations, electricity consumption itself is now one of the key strategic drivers. Businesses that consume large volumes of power, whether in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, retail, data centres or public sector estates, face a structural challenge. They cannot simply reduce demand to meet decarbonisation goals; they must also transform how their electricity is sourced and managed. The reality is that much of the low-hanging fruit has already been harvested. What comes next requires a more ambitious, system-level approach and a willingness to move beyond traditional thinking about energy infrastructure.

Progress Made – But Often at the Margins

Most organisations that have engaged with decarbonisation have started in sensible places:

• LED lighting upgrades
• Building management system improvements
• HVAC optimisation
• Small rooftop solar arrays

These measures typically deliver quick wins and attractive paybacks. They are relatively easy to procure, carry limited operational risk and fit within existing capital planning cycles. But for businesses with substantial electricity demand, these actions alone rarely move the dial sufficiently. Energy intensity remains high, exposure to wholesale power markets persists, and Net Zero pathways remain uncertain. The next phase of decarbonisation requires organisations to think differently, not just about efficiency, but about on-site generation, storage, resilience and long-term energy procurement strategy.

Solar PV and Battery Storage: A Strategic Opportunity

Among available technologies, solar PV combined with battery storage stands out as one of the most practical and scalable solutions for high-consumption sites.

The strategic advantages are well established:

• Mature and proven technology
• Rapid deployment timelines
• Predictable generation profile
• Minimal operational disruption
• Long asset life
• Immediate carbon reduction
• Direct electricity cost savings

When battery storage is added, further benefits emerge:

• Increased on-site self-consumption
• Peak demand management
• Load shifting capability
• Improved resilience
• Reduced grid import during high-price periods
• Potential access to flexibility revenues

For many energy-intensive businesses, particularly those with around the clock operations, solar plus storage represents one of the most compelling decarbonisation levers available today. Yet deployment across the commercial and industrial landscape remains well below the technical and economic potential.

The Reality of Rooftop Constraints

A common starting point for on-site generation is rooftop solar. While often attractive, the practical limitations of many business estates are frequently underestimated.

Typical constraints include:

• Structural limitations
• Roof condition or remaining life
• Complex roof geometries
• Plant congestion
• Shading issues
• Landlord restrictions
• Competing asset priorities

In some cases, roofs simply cannot support meaningful solar capacity without significant enabling works. In others, the available area is too small relative to site demand to deliver material impact. A focus on only rooftop solar risks under-delivering against decarbonisation ambitions. Organisations need to look beyond the obvious and consider the full range of on-site and near-site opportunities.

Car Park Solar: A Vast Untapped Resource

One of the most overlooked opportunities across commercial estates is solar car park canopies. Many businesses control large areas of parking that offer excellent solar potential without competing for roof space. When deployed strategically, car park solar can deliver:

• Significant additional generation capacity
• Protection for staff and visitor vehicles
• Support for EV charging infrastructure
• Enhanced site aesthetics
• Highly visible sustainability credentials

For logistics hubs, retail parks, hospitals, universities, airports and corporate campuses, car park canopies can often unlock materially larger systems than rooftop installations alone. Despite this, deployment remains sporadic rather than systematic. For high-consumption organisations, parking assets should be considered a core part of the renewable energy strategy rather than an afterthought.

Solar on Owned or Nearby Land

Beyond buildings and parking, many organisations either own land or operate near land that could support ground-mounted solar.

This may include:

• Peripheral estate land
• Buffer zones
• Legacy holdings
• Future development plots
• Adjacent agricultural or commercial land through partnership

Ground-mounted solar typically offers:

• Lower cost per installed kilowatt
• Higher generation efficiency
• Greater scalability
• Easier maintenance access
• Fewer structural constraints

For businesses with very high electricity demand, ground-mounted solar, either on owned land or via nearby third-party sites, can be the only realistic route to achieving meaningful self-generation at scale.

There is also growing opportunity for collaboration with neighbouring landowners to jointly develop larger schemes that benefit multiple parties.

Capital Constraints and the Focus on Core Business

One of the most persistent barriers to large-scale decarbonisation is capital allocation.

Most organisations, particularly in energy-intensive sectors, face competing investment priorities:

• Core business expansion
• Operational resilience
• Digital transformation
• Compliance requirements
• Workforce investment

Energy infrastructure, while important, often struggles to compete for scarce capital. Many businesses quite reasonably conclude that their capital is better deployed in activities that directly drive revenue or service delivery. This is entirely rational from a corporate finance perspective, but it can slow the pace of energy transition if alternative delivery models are not considered.

The Untapped Potential of Private Sector Finance

This is where the conversation needs to evolve. There is significant private capital actively seeking to invest in behind-the-meter renewable infrastructure. Fully funded solar delivered through long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) allows organisations to deploy large-scale systems without upfront capital expenditure (such as that offered by Ortus Energy).

Under a typical model:

• A third-party investor funds and installs the system
• The host business purchases the electricity at an agreed discount
• Performance and maintenance risk sits with the provider
• No capital outlay is required from the host
• Immediate cost and carbon benefits are realised

For high-electricity users, this model can unlock projects that would otherwise remain stuck in the planning phase. Despite this, some organisations remain hesitant due to perceived complexity, accounting considerations or unfamiliarity with long-term energy contracts. In many cases, these concerns are manageable and outweighed by the financial and operational benefits available.

Resilience: An Increasing Strategic Driver

Decarbonisation is no longer the only motivation for on-site energy investment. Energy resilience is rapidly climbing the corporate agenda. Businesses are increasingly exposed to:

• Grid constraints
• Price volatility
• Network upgrade delays
• Electrification pressures
• Supply chain scrutiny

Solar PV combined with battery storage can play an important role in strengthening site resilience by:

• Reducing peak grid dependence
• Supporting critical loads
• Providing limited backup capability
• Improving energy visibility and control

As electrification accelerates, particularly through EV adoption and heat decarbonisation, local generation and storage will become progressively more valuable.

The Economic Case Is Strengthening

While sustainability commitments remain important, the commercial case for on-site renewables has become increasingly compelling in its own right.

For high-consumption organisations, well-structured solar deployments can deliver:

• Immediate electricity cost savings
• Long-term price certainty
• Reduced exposure to wholesale volatility
• Minimal operational burden
• Strong carbon reduction credentials

In many cases, the financial benefits alone justify action, carbon reduction becomes an additional strategic advantage rather than the sole driver.

The Need for a Step Change in Mindset

Technology is not the primary barrier. Nor, increasingly, is economics. The remaining challenge is often organisational mindset. Too many businesses remain in a cautious, incremental mode, piloting small schemes, optimising around the edges, and deferring larger strategic decisions. For organisations with significant electricity demand, this approach risks leaving substantial value on the table.

What is required now is a shift:

• From projects to programmes
• From rooftops only to whole-estate thinking
• From capital-only models to blended finance
• From short-term fixes to long-term energy strategy
• From passive energy purchasing to active energy management

Those that move early and decisively are likely to secure both cost and carbon advantages over the coming decade.

Conclusion

Decarbonisation across high-electricity-consuming businesses is underway, and meaningful progress has been made. But in many cases, activity remains concentrated around the margins rather than at the scale required to transform energy cost and carbon performance. The opportunity is clear. Solar PV combined with battery storage, expanded beyond rooftops to include car parks, owned land and nearby development opportunities, offers a practical and economically attractive route to significant emissions and cost reduction. With capital often constrained and core business priorities rightly dominant, private sector financing through PPAs provides a scalable pathway that many organisations have yet to fully embrace.

Energy resilience, cost certainty and supply chain expectations will only intensify in the years ahead. Businesses that grasp the nettle now and adopt a more strategic, portfolio-level approach to energy will be best placed to benefit.

Many organisations are still only scratching the surface, those willing to move beyond the obvious and act at scale stand to unlock substantial financial and carbon value.

Solar energy and finance will be topics at our upcoming events, including the Clean Industrial Growth Investment Summit and Clean Energy 2026.