This year’s Solar & Storage Live exhibition saw more than 20,000 visitors, 500 exhibitors and 250 speakers join together at the NEC in Birmingham to accelerate the adoption of solar energy. As headline sponsor of the C&I Theatre for the second consecutive year, AMPYR Distributed Energy (ADE) enabled a series of 23 speeches, presentations and panel debates surrounding the global scale-up of solar deployment.

Alongside optimising project finance, advances in battery energy storage solutions (BESS) and developments across the power purchase agreement (PPA) landscape, key discussion themes included empowering global supply chains and tackling sustainability targets. Following three days of conversations and keynotes, here’s what ADE’s CEO John Behan took away as the show’s hot topics.

1. Continued sector growth

Throughout the show, the impressive growth of the C&I solar market was a regular topic of conversation. Installation rates are said to be at a record high, with an estimated 5GW+ of new rooftop capacity forecast to be added between now and the end of 2029. Elsewhere, momentum is accelerating fast across ground mounted direct wire systems and onsite energy storage, with the latter enjoying a CAGR of 25.3%.

Several factors are driving this collective growth, including rising energy prices, falling installation costs, and a growing desire for energy independence. The sector has also benefited from new UK policy updates, including the removal of planning requirements on >1MW rooftop solar. As a result, C&I demand for onsite renewable energy solutions is higher than ever before.

With £300m of capital to deploy, ADE is proud to be playing a driving role in the sector’s continued growth. Working with local partners across development, construction and operations, we’re committed to being the leading funder of onsite renewables, powering European businesses with clean, affordable energy.

2. Significant interest in financing and funding solutions

Putting renewable generation at (or near) the point of consumption is the cheapest form of energy, with solutions that are quick and simple to deploy. However, businesses are often unsure about the options available to finance deployment.

The funding of C&I solar was discussed in a number of keynotes and panel discussions throughout the show, with businesses looking for robust solutions to access clean energy while retaining their working capital.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) were the big talking point, with the mechanism allowing businesses to tap into the potential of onsite renewable energy generation models with no upfront cost or ongoing maintenance charges.

3. The rise of energy storage

To further improve efficiencies and optimise returns, the C&I solar sector is quickly moving beyond standalone onsite renewable generation and instead towards multi-technology energy ecosystems. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are an important part of this transition and were a hot topic at the show.

When integrated with C&I solar, BESS allows businesses to truly maximise renewable energy generation and increase self-consumption. By storing power in periods of high generation and low demand, users can achieve further cost savings and reduce their reliance on energy from the grid.

4. Progress towards closing the sector skills gap

As the C&I solar sector continues to scale, it’s clear that a focus on attracting, developing and retaining top talent must remain a priority. Indeed, estimates suggest that an additional 6,000 engineers per year are needed in the UK alone to meet the sector’s ambitious installation targets.

While this may seem like a significant mountain to climb, the industry is working hard to tackle it head-on. It was great to visit the training and recruitment zones at the show and see the positive initiatives being driven across the supply chain.

The major takeout from the show was that the sector continues to experience a period of accelerating global growth. The C&I Theatre was a popular destination for visitors each day, reflecting a high level of interest that ties in with the sector’s projections for rooftop, ground and canopy-mounted solar, alongside BESS.

Meeting existing and future partners at key industry events is an invaluable part of the process to build quality networks and contacts that can deliver reliability, quality and resilience – exactly what the C&I sector needs when securing its future energy supplies through specialist third-party funding and delivery partners.

Sponsoring the Theatre for the second year running demonstrated our commitment to leading the distributed energy conversation and supporting the global acceleration of renewable energy – not just for today, but for the future. The conversations were fascinating, but the industry’s commitment to collaboration was probably the most inspiring part of all.