Fully funded solar for hotels, shops and hospitality, based in Colwyn Bay
Solar for Hotels, Retail & Hospitality in North Wales
Solar for hotels in North Wales, and for the shops, offices and cafes that trade in daylight. Nothing up front, a low price per kWh (the unit on your bill) fixed for 15 years, and two EV chargers for your car park at no cost.
Nothing up front. Fixed for 15 years. Lesters stayed open and trading throughout.
“Customers barely noticed anything was happening.”
£0 up front
Our funding partner pays for the system. Not even a deposit
Fixed for 15 years
Between 16p and 23p per kWh today, depending on the site (September 2026)
NAPIT
Our installers are accredited
Our installation partners are MCS registered, and RECC and NAPIT accredited
One person to call
Dave handles the funder, the installer and the grid for you, first call to first bill
The season, and the deal
Solar for hotels in North Wales, and for shops and hospitality sites, fully funded
Solar for hotels in North Wales runs into one worry straight away: the season. A coastal hotel is full in August and half empty in February. It is a fair worry, and we answer it with real data further down. First, the deal.
It is called a power purchase agreement (PPA). Our funding partner pays for the panels, the fitting and the grid connection. You buy the solar power you use at a price fixed for 15 years, between 16p and 23p per kWh today (September 2026). The funder earns from selling you that power and from selling spare power to the grid.
It works for solar panels for hotels, shops and offices, and for cafes, pubs and restaurants that trade by day. We don't do people's own homes.
What each kind of site brings
Hotels, shops, offices and cafes: where your daytime power goes
Hotels and guest accommodation
Laundry, kitchens, hot water, lifts and lighting. Rooms use power round the clock, but the heavy loads fall in daylight. Larger hotels with a car park fit best.
Shops and retail
Lights, tills, fridges and freezers from opening to close, and often through the night. A steady load and often a customer car park, which is what the EV chargers need.
Offices
Weekday daytime use that matches the sun. At weekends the roof still makes power. Spare power is sold to the grid by the funder, and you do not pay for it.
Cafes, pubs and restaurants
Kitchens and cold rooms run by day. Evening trade runs after dark, so the roof helps most with lunches and the daytime base.
Our case study for a trading site
Lesters Farm Shop: 56.7 kW, 17p per kWh and £2,624 saved a year
We haven't fitted a hotel, so the closest proof is a shop. Lesters in Buckley is a public-facing site that stayed open and trading while a 56.7 kW system went on (kW, kilowatts, is the size of the system).
- 126 panels and a 50 kW inverter, with two 22 kW EV chargers at no cost
- It pays 17p per kWh for its solar, where it was paying about 23p
- The yearly bill was £29,929. It is now £19,908 for grid power plus £7,397 for solar
- That saves £2,624 a year. Solar covers 33% of its use, and 92% of what the roof makes is used on site
Lesters is a farm shop, so it will not match a 60-bedroom hotel. The point is the one a hotelier asks: can the doors stay open?
The car park angle
Two EV chargers at no cost, and half the charging revenue is yours
If you have a car park, we add two 22 kW EV chargers at no cost, subject to survey. They are three-phase (a stronger kind of supply that larger buildings have), the same as the solar needs.
Drivers pay to charge. You keep 50% of the revenue, every month.
Why it suits your trade: a guest staying the night, or a shopper or diner there for an hour, is a driver with time to spare. A charger can give them a reason to choose you over the place down the road.
We do not put a figure on the income. It depends on how many people use the chargers, and the chargers are subject to survey. Lesters has two, fitted at no cost.
Seasonal trade
How a coastal season looks to a solar roof
Summer is your busy time and the roof's best time. The quiet months are the real question, so here they are.
| Compare | Summer | Spring and autumn | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your trade | Full rooms, full tills, full kitchens | Weekends, events and half-term | Quiet, and some sites close for weeks |
| What the roof makes | Long days and the most power | A middling amount | Short days and the least |
| Solar you use | The most, because you use the most | Less, but still most of what is made | A little, so the solar bill is small |
| Spare power | Little. The funder sells what you do not use | Some, sold by the funder | More in a shut week. Also sold by the funder, never billed to you |
A general pattern, not a forecast. Your half-hourly data shows your own seasons, and the design team sizes the system to your normal daytime load, not your busiest week.
Half-hourly data
What 12 months of half-hourly data shows about a seasonal site
Half-hourly data is how much power you used in each 30 minutes, taken from your smart meter. It is the evidence behind the size of your system. Read the guide to half-hourly data.
When summer really starts
The week your use climbs, and how soon it falls. Shoulder months often look more like summer than you would guess, or less.
Weekday against weekend
Offices peak on weekdays and hotels at weekends. Solar suits weekday daylight best, so the weekend load affects the sizing.
The laundry and breakfast peaks
Whether the washing runs through the morning, when it lands in daylight, and how big the first-thing spike is.
The evening you cannot cover
Dinner service and bar trade after dark. That is grid power unless a battery earns its place.
The quiet weeks
A shut week shows your base load: cold rooms, lighting, heating. It sets the floor we can size to without waste.
Events and one-off peaks
Weddings and festivals push use up for a day. We size for the normal pattern, not the spike.
Is it right for your site?
Which hotels, shops and hospitality sites this suits, and which it doesn't
It suits you if
- You use power in the day: laundry, kitchens, tills, lights and chillers.
- You have a three-phase supply and room for at least 20 kW of panels. That is about 45 to 50 panels.
- You own the building, or the owner will agree to a roof lease.
- You have a car park and like the idea of EV income.
It's probably not for you if
- A small B&B or corner shop on a single-phase supply. That caps a system at about 15 to 17 kW, below our 20 kW floor.
- Your site already has solar.
- Most of your trade is after dark, such as a late-night bar. The roof is idle by then.
- You rent one unit in a shared building and the landlord will not engage.
- You want the panels owned from day one. Under a PPA the funder owns them until you buy them out.
What it costs
What a trading site pays: £0, then a price per kWh that holds
To fit the system and the chargers
The funding partner pays for the panels, inverter, scaffolding, labour and grid connection. Subject to survey, it pays for two EV chargers as well.
What Lesters pays per kWh for its solar
Against about 23p before, and fixed for 15 years. Yours will be between 16p and 23p depending on the site (September 2026), set from your usage data.
Lesters' yearly bill for solar
On top of £19,908 for grid power, against £29,929 for everything before solar. That is £2,624 less a year. Yours will differ.
See what commercial solar costs to buy and how a PPA compares with buying.
What a trading site pays per kWh for its solar
- PPA price: 16p to 23p, fixed for 15 years
- What our case-study customers were paying the grid: about 23p to 53p
PPA prices as of September 2026, and your rate depends on your site. Savings are illustrative, never promised. Your proposal works out your own.
Check my site's eligibilityFree, no obligation, about two minutesBefore you say yes
What hotel, shop and hospitality owners worry about
We go quiet, or shut, for part of the year. Do we pay for panels we cannot use?
You pay only for the solar you use
The funder owns the panels and earns when they generate. You pay per kWh for what you use. A quiet month with less use gives a smaller solar bill, and spare power is the funder's to sell. Your data sets the size, so the system is not built for your busiest week.
Will guests and customers see the mess?
Lesters stayed open and trading throughout
Samuel says the team were respectful of the fact the shop was open and trading. We haven't fitted a hotel, so we cannot promise the same result. The work is on the roof, not in the lobby, and we plan it around your busy dates, check-in times and deliveries.
I rent the building, or head office decides.
The owner has to agree, and has a reason to
A roof lease needs the owner's say-so. They gain too. The government has confirmed larger rented commercial buildings will need an EPC B from 2031 (EPC means energy performance certificate, the A to G rating). Solar is one of the most direct ways to lift a rating, and a PPA does it at no capital cost.
What about the sea air, the wind and the gulls?
Cleaning is built in, every 6 to 12 months
Salt spray and gulls dirty a coastal roof faster than an inland one. The funder pays for the cleaning and watches the system from a central screen. Wind is something every coastal design has to allow for, and the full site survey looks at your roof and how the panels are fixed.
In their own words
Samuel, on a shop that stayed open
“I'll be honest, I was a bit sceptical at first. It sounded too good to be true.”
“The team were professional, organised, and really respectful of the fact we were open and trading.”
“The savings are going to be a game changer for my business.”
- System size (peak output)
- 50 kWp
- Power it makes each year
- 36,290 kWh
- Fixed price for 15 years
- 18p per kWh (was 37p)
- Saving in year one
- £4,739
- Saving over 15 years
- £131,796
The 15-year figure assumes grid prices rise 5% a year. Your proposal works out your own figures, never a promise.
Free, in writing, no obligation
See what your proposal will look like before you decide anything
This one is Crest Community Centre's, because it is the full set of figures we can show. A hotel's or a shop's follows the same layout, built from your own bills. It comes back in up to 5 working days.
- The system designed for your siteSized to your real usage by the funder's design team, with how much power it should make each year.
- Your fixed price per kWhSet from your usage data. Between 16p and 23p today, and fixed for 15 years.
- Your savingsIn year one and over 15 years, worked out from your own bills. Illustrative, never a promise.
- Your buy-out price for every yearPrinted in full, falling each year to £1 at year 15. So you can see your way out before you sign.
The honest comparison
A PPA or buying the panels: what matters to a trading business
Buying can be the better deal if you have the cash and want to run it yourself. A PPA suits a business that would rather keep its money for the season.
| What to compare | Solar PPA with Bay Bright | Buying outright |
|---|---|---|
| Cost up front | £0, not even a deposit | The full cost. Crest's 50 kWp system is valued at £42,741 |
| Your cash for the season | Stays in the business, for stock, staff and refits | Goes into the system |
| The price of the solar power | Fixed per kWh for 15 years | Nothing per kWh once it is paid for, which is the big win of buying |
| EV chargers | Two at no cost where there is a car park, subject to survey. You keep 50% of the revenue | Normally a separate purchase |
| If you sell the business or the lease ends | The contract can pass to the new owner at the same rate, or you buy it out from the printed list | It goes with the building |
| Cleaning and repairs | Covered for the full term, with cleaning every 6 to 12 months | Yours to arrange and pay for |
How it works
From first call to switch-on, timed for your season
About five to six weeks in North Wales, and up to 12 where the grid operator is slower. Start in winter and the roof can be making power before the season opens.
Before you decide anything
- 1
Tell us about the site
A few quick questions, or call. Dave calls back within 24 hours. Tell us which months you are open and which are quiet.
- 2
We check the roof and the data
A desktop survey from satellite images, plus 12 months of usage data. Your seasonal swing shows up in the first look.
- 3
Your proposal, on a video call
Up to 5 working days for the funder's design team. The funder joins the call, so you can ask them anything.
- 4
Paperwork that does not bind you
Three first papers let us apply to the grid. They are open for 10 working days and commit you to nothing.
Once you've said yes
- 5
Site survey and grid approval (DNO)
A full survey on site. Dave applies to the DNO (district network operator, the company that runs the local power network) and we pay the £500 to £1,000 fee.
- 6
Fitted while you trade
MCS-registered installers fit the system. Roof work is noisy for a few days, so tell us your busiest dates and events.
- 7
Switch-on and your first bill
Your direct debit starts when it is running. A month in, Dave goes through the first bill with you.
Sites like yours
Other sites with long hours and big car parks
Commercial EV charging
Two chargers at no cost, and half the revenue is yours.
Find out more
Care homes
Laundry, kitchens and hot water, round the clock.
Find out more
Farms and farm shops
Lesters is a farm shop. See how farms use the same deal.
Find out moreGuides: EPC B and 2031, three-phase and the grid and do you qualify?
Where we work
Hotels, shops and hospitality across the coast and the towns
Based in Colwyn Bay. Pick your area to see how we work there.
Questions
Questions hotel, shop and hospitality owners ask
Does solar for hotels in North Wales really cost nothing up front?
Yes. Our funding partner pays for the panels, the inverter, the scaffolding, the labour and the grid connection, with no deposit. You then pay one monthly direct debit for the solar you use, at a price per kWh fixed for 15 years.
We are busy in summer and quiet in winter. Does that matter?
Less than you might think. You only pay for the solar you use, so a quiet month means a smaller solar bill. The design team sizes the system to your normal daytime load, not your busiest week, using 12 months of your half-hourly data.
How do the two EV chargers work, and what do we earn?
Where you have a car park, we add two 22 kW chargers at no cost, subject to survey. Drivers pay to charge, and you keep 50% of the revenue every month. We do not put a figure on it, because it depends on how many people use them.
Can we stay open and trading while the panels go on?
Lesters Farm Shop did. Samuel says customers barely noticed anything was happening. None of our published case studies is a hotel, so tell us your busy dates, check-in times and delivery slots, and the roof work is planned around them.
Do you fit solar panels for shops and offices too?
Yes, if the site has a three-phase supply, room for at least 20 kW and a year of electricity data, and no existing solar. Shops and offices use power in daylight, which suits solar well. We do not work on small units that fall below those limits.
What does half-hourly data show about a seasonal business?
It shows how much you used in each 30 minutes, so the busy weeks, the quiet weeks and the weekend peaks all show up. That tells the design team how big a system the building can really use. Nobody pays for power that has nowhere to go.
Does solar help with evening trade, such as dinner or a bar?
Not directly. The roof makes nothing after dark, so evening trade runs on grid power. A battery can store spare daytime power for later, and we add one only if your data justifies it. It raises the price per kWh.
We rent the building. Do we need the landlord to agree?
Yes. The owner has to agree to the roof lease. They gain too, because the government has confirmed larger rented commercial buildings will need an EPC B from 2031. EPC means energy performance certificate, the A to G rating of a building.
What is the catch?
Two things are worth knowing before you start. The funder runs a soft credit check on the business, which leaves no mark on your file, and it leases the roof space but never owns your roof. It makes its money from the solar you buy and from spare power sold to the grid.
What if we sell the business or the lease ends?
The contract can pass to the new owner or occupier at the same price. Or you can buy the system out from the price list printed in your proposal, which falls every year.
What happens after 15 years?
You have four options. Buy the system for £1, negotiate a new price, extend at today's price for five years and then buy it for £1, or pay to have it removed. With a 30-year panel warranty, buying leaves at least 10 more years of free power.
How long does it take, and when should we start?
About five to six weeks from first call to switch-on in North Wales. It can take up to 12 weeks where the grid operator is slower. If you want it making power before your season starts, begin in winter.
Find out if your site qualifies
Send your postcode and a recent bill. We check your roof on a map and tell you quickly. It costs nothing, and nothing you sign at the start ties you in. Or just call and ask first.