Alectrona
Commercial solar answersThe questions a finance director or facilities manager actually asks before a six-figure roof goes ahead, answered without the sales gloss.
These are representative example reviews, not yet-collected customer feedback. They are written to illustrate the kind of feedback Alectrona aims to earn and are shown as design placeholders while we gather and verify reviews from our first commercial clients. Alectrona is the commercial solar trading brand of RVTC LTD.
What set Alectrona apart was the documented design pack. We had quotes from three installers, but only Alectrona handed us a full set of drawings, a single-line diagram and a design referencing BS 7671 and the G99 connection process. The whole thing read like an engineering submission rather than a sales brochure. Our M&E consultant reviewed it and signed it off without a single query. That gave the board the confidence to release the capital.
Other firms priced our roof off a satellite image and a desktop guess. Alectrona flew an in-house drone survey, fully insured and flown by a qualified commercial drone pilot, and built a 3D model of the actual roof. It picked up plant, vents and a parapet line that a flat aerial photo had completely missed, which changed the panel layout. I would rather find that out at design stage than on the day the scaffold goes up. The accuracy of that survey is the reason I trusted everything that followed.
As a finance director I was wary of being oversold a system bigger than we could use. Alectrona modelled the array against our actual half-hourly consumption data rather than an annual total, so it is sized to what we genuinely draw on site during the day. They were honest that exporting surplus is worth far less than self-consumption, and built the design around that. The capital case stacked up because the engineering was honest, not because the numbers were inflated.
We were undecided between buying outright, leasing and a PPA. Alectrona laid out all three side by side with the pros and cons of each against our balance sheet, instead of pushing the one that pays them best. They were clear about where a PPA makes sense and where capex wins, and pointed us at our own accountant for the tax treatment. The survey and design took a little longer than I expected, but the thoroughness was worth the wait. Genuinely consultative.
The install crew were tidy and well run, and worked to a clear CDM 2015 plan with a proper site induction and RAMS. What impressed me most was the handover. We received a full commissioning pack with the IEC 62446-1 test results, certification, O&M documentation and an as-built record for our maintenance team. As the people who have to live with this asset for the next twenty years, having that paperwork in order matters enormously. Nothing was left loose.
I expected the usual hard sell and got the opposite. After surveying our site Alectrona told us one roof section was not worth covering because of shading, and that a smaller, well-sited array was the better investment than filling every square metre. There was no commission-driven upselling and no pressure. For a six-figure capital project, that straight talk is exactly what you want from the people advising you. We will be using them again on our second site.
Most solar FAQ pages answer the easy questions and skip the ones that decide a project. This one does the opposite. If a question has a straight answer we give it here; where the honest answer is “it depends on your site”, we say what it depends on rather than inventing a number.
The questions are grouped into four themes. Each answer opens with the direct answer, then points to the deeper guide where there is one.
We don't publish a price or a "from £X" figure, because a credible number for a system this size is survey-led, not catalogue-led. Cost turns on roof or ground type, structural condition, the inverter and module specification, your DNO connection terms under G99, and any switchgear work. We model it per site from a PV*SOL yield study and an on-site survey, then quote a fixed scope.
Payback is modelled per site and varies mainly with how much generation you self-consume, so we won't quote a single headline figure. A site using most of its output in daytime hours typically pays back faster than one exporting heavily. We build the case from your half-hourly load, tariff and a PV*SOL yield model. See how we compare the options.
Yes, commercial solar generally qualifies for capital allowances, and the Annual Investment Allowance can let a business write off qualifying plant against taxable profit in the year of spend, subject to your circumstances. The exact treatment depends on your tax position, so confirm it with your accountant. We set out the mechanics on our capital allowances page.
Yes, through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), where a licensed supplier pays for metered export. Rates vary by supplier and tariff, so export income is usually the smaller part of a commercial case; self-consumption is where the value sits. We model both. See our SEG and export guide.
It depends on whether you want to own the asset and claim the allowances, or keep the cost off your capital budget. Buying captures the full saving and tax treatment; a lease spreads the cost; a power purchase agreement (PPA) means a third party owns the system and you buy its generation. We compare all three against your numbers on our finance comparison page.
The system is sized to your daytime electricity demand, not to fill the roof. We pull your half-hourly meter data, model the array in PV*SOL, and size it so most of what it generates is consumed on site, where it offsets your full import rate. As a rough guide, arrays above 50 kWp typically run from around 90 modules upward, but the survey sets the real number. See how we size a commercial system.
We specify bankable, BloombergNEF Tier 1 modules and established inverter brands, chosen against your roof and load rather than a fixed supplier or a domestic consumer brand. Tier 1 measures a maker's financing track record, not field performance, so we read it alongside independent reliability data and re-verify the live quarter before contract. More on bankable panel selection.
It depends on your load shape, and we model it rather than assume it. Storage earns its place where it lifts solar self-consumption, shaves expensive peak periods, or shifts cheap off-peak import, so the case is strongest on sites with evening demand or a spiky profile. Where a battery does not pay, we say so. How storage raises self-consumption.
Yes to all three, and the mounting method follows a structural survey. Flat roofs typically take a ballasted, non-penetrating frame; trapezoidal and standing-seam metal roofs take clamped rails sized to the profile; and where roof area is short, a ground-mount or solar carport is assessed instead. Each is checked against roof loading and wind under the relevant standards. See the mounting options.
Quality commercial modules are built for a 25 to 30 year service life, with manufacturers warranting a defined output level out to year 30. Modern panels degrade slowly, often losing under 0.5% of output a year on a linear performance warranty, so a panel still produces roughly 85 to 90% of its original yield decades in. We confirm the exact warranty from the datasheet for the specified module before contract.
No. MCS is a domestic and small-scale scheme, and systems above 50 kWp are not assured through it. The relevant assurance for commercial PV is the engineering stack: design and installation to BS 7671, commissioning and verification to IEC 62446-1, a compliant G99 grid connection, and CDM 2015 on site. We back the work with an Insurance-Backed Guarantee rather than an MCS certificate. See our guide to quality without MCS.
G99 is the connection agreement you need from your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) for inverter export above the G98 threshold, which covers effectively all commercial systems over 50 kWp. The DNO assesses whether your local network can absorb the export, and timescales vary by region and headroom, so we model it per site and apply early rather than treating it as a formality. Constrained networks may return an offer with a connection cost or an export limit. Read our G99 application guide.
Often not for rooftop arrays, which usually fall under permitted development, but the limits are tighter than people assume and larger commercial installations can require prior approval from the local authority. Listed buildings, conservation areas and ground-mounted arrays change the picture, as do projections above the roof plane. We confirm the planning route at survey before committing to a design. See our planning permission guide.
Yes to CDM. As construction work, a commercial PV install falls under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, with defined duty holders, a construction phase plan and managed working-at-height and electrical risk; for most projects you are the client, with duties we set out and support. On insurance, a compliant install built to RC62 fire guidance is easier to declare, and we advise notifying your insurer of the works to avoid a later coverage dispute.
A 3D drone survey captures the actual roof geometry, pitch, orientation and shading from aerial photogrammetry, which then feeds a PV*SOL energy model built for your specific site. This replaces guesswork with a measured yield projection for that roof, accounting for hour-by-hour shading and panel layout, so the array we design is sized to your real load rather than a rule of thumb. See how the drone survey works.
It varies by site, and the longest variable is usually the DNO grid connection, not the install itself. A roof-mounted array typically moves from survey to design in a few weeks, while the G99 application and grid connection offer can take longer depending on the network operator's queue. We give you a site-specific programme after survey rather than a generic figure. More on grid connection timing.
Above 50 kWp the assurance comes from the engineering standards a contractor works to, not a logo, because MCS is a domestic scheme. Ask for evidence of design and test to BS 7671, IEC 62446-1 commissioning, G99 grid compliance, CDM 2015 duties and an Insurance-Backed Guarantee. Those are the signals a finance director should be checking. How to vet a commercial installer.
Yes. We take on operations and maintenance for systems we did not install, starting with an IEC 62446-1 inspection to establish the array's real condition, string performance and any safety defects. From there we can hold a planned maintenance schedule, monitor output and repair faults, which matters most where an original installer is no longer trading. See our O&M scope.
If your question is specific to your roof, your load or your grid connection, the honest answer needs your numbers. Tell us about the site and we will give you a straight read, with no obligation and no from-price.