Solar PPA for e-commerce fulfilment centres

2026 indicative PPA profile

Typical system size	1-5MWp
Year-1 tariff	9-12 p/kWh
Year-1 saving	£150k-£700k
Parent sector	Warehouses & Logistics

Round-the-clock picking, round-the-clock draw

E-commerce fulfilment is the warehouse that never sleeps. Conveyor lines, sortation, goods-to-person robotics and a workforce across three shifts keep electrical demand high whatever the hour — and it is that always-on floor that turns rooftop solar into an unusually clean investment here. Every unit the array makes during daylight is absorbed instantly by automation that is already running, so there is no export leakage to erode the economics. Systems of 1-5MWp are routine, and the rates on offer, around 9-12 p/kWh, reflect how confidently a developer can predict your consumption.

Fleet electrification stacks the case

These sites rarely stop at the building. Last-mile delivery vans and yard vehicles are electrifying fast, and a depot full of chargers is a second enormous load sitting right beside the array. Charging that fleet on daytime solar rather than peak grid import is where much of the headline £150k-£700k annual saving is found. To keep the generation flowing after dusk, most operators layer battery storage over the array and time-shift stored solar into the evening pick.

• Three-shift automation gives near-continuous demand
• Robotics and conveyors absorb midday output on site
• Van and shunter charging adds a large second load
• Storage carries daytime generation into night shifts

Matching the contract to a complex load

A fulfilment operation's demand curve is intricate, and the right agreement depends on who carries which risk. Look over the range of developers and funders active in this space, set the fulfilment profile in context with the rest of the logistics and storage sector, and check how your unit rate is assembled in our breakdown of PPA pricing.