The retail rooftop solar puzzle: Is a simpler approach the smarter one?

There’s no shortage of enthusiasm for solar energy within the retail industry, but the path from interest to implementation is often anything but straightforward.

Our recent workshop with the British Retail Consortium brought together representatives from major high street to out-of-town retailers. Together, we uncovered the main challenge – deal complexity.

Barriers for Solar Deals

The technology is proven, and the financial case is strong, but rooftop solar projects can still get complicated, especially when both landlords and tenants are involved. Every building comes with its own circumstances. Ownership structures, lease terms, break clauses, and whether a site is part of a single location or a wider portfolio all shape what’s actually possible.

The commercial models are just as varied. Retailers and landlords are working with a whole mix of different options. This could be direct ownership, landlord‑funded installs, tenant‑led PPAs, third‑party leasing, and even shared‑savings agreements.

It makes things more complicated, but each model can work. The challenge is that this variety means every deal ends up looking different, with its own set of terms, stakeholders, and negotiation points. And that inconsistency is slowing progress across the board.

Because no deal looks the same, it can mean that things move at a much slower pace.

We heard examples of solar proposals that ticked every technical and financial box yet stalled for months due to unclear lease permissions or mismatched incentives. One tenant might see long-term savings, but their landlord is focused on capex risk.

The result? A lot of potential, but not enough progress.

Retailers Want to Move Faster

What stood out most in the workshop wasn’t just the breadth of retailers represented; it was the collective appetite for change. Everyone had some experience with solar, often learned the hard way. But across the board, there was a hunger to go further and move things along faster.

The message was consistent: large‑scale solar deployment won’t be unlocked by creating ever more bespoke, highly optimised deals. Instead, progress depends on simplifying. That might mean accepting a slightly lower return on investment (ROI) on individual sites in exchange for a smoother, faster rollout across dozens or even hundreds of locations.

Just as standard fit‑out specifications help retailers maintain consistency and move quickly across hundreds of stores, the industry could benefit from a similar “solar standard.” A shared framework that works for around 80% of sites would streamline the legal, commercial, and operational steps.

Meaning solar projects can progress without needing to redesign every project from scratch.

It’s time to shift our focus from perfect solutions to practical ones.

Clarity and Confidence in the Numbers

Another common thread from these retailers was the need for internal confidence in the numbers. Finance teams want to know whether a solar project will really deliver the claimed payback, especially on leased sites. Sustainability leads are often ready to go, but legal, procurement, and risk functions still need convincing. That means clear data.

Not just ROI projections, but clarity on three main factors:

• What happens if the lease ends early?
• Who’s liable if the system underperforms?
• What maintenance obligations sit with the tenant vs the landlord?

These questions aren’t difficult when experienced partners and clear processes are involved. The problem is that many retailers are beginning from scratch or leaning on advisors who have little experience in solar projects.

From Complexity to Collaboration  

The truth is, solar doesn’t have to be hard.

But if it continues to be dealt with case-by-case, it will stay slow. We need a shift from custom projects to collaborative programs. So that landlords, tenants, funders, and installers align early, with shared terms and shared intent. This won’t happen overnight. But the workshop showed that the will is there.

With the right frameworks, there’s real opportunity for UK retail to lead – not just in decarbonising its own estates, but in setting a template for how landlord-tenant collaboration on clean energy can really work.

Curious about what this looks like in practice, read more here: Lessons from my first involvement in a corporate PPA.