British businesses are unknowingly overlooking millions of pounds in potential energy savings, with fewer than 5% of buildings around the UK currently utilising onsite solar*.
Now there’s a new AI-powered tool that makes this easier, by assessing any commercial building’s solar feasibility in under a minute. ‘Absolar Orbit’ is an AI-driven platform being dubbed the ‘Rightmove of commercial solar’ which is designed to unlock the UK’s commercial solar potential in seconds. No physical, onsite assessments needed.
It’s a simple process that produces remarkable results and uses very advanced technology developed over years of research originated from the University of Southampton.
Immediate search via a postcode
As high energy costs continue to squeeze margins, Absolar Orbit allows any organisation to input just than their postcode to receive a full solar feasibility audit in under a minute, for free. The tool provides instant data on projected bill savings, payback periods (currently averaging under five years), CO2 reductions and more.
“UK businesses are sitting on a huge amount of untapped energy assets,” says Dr Phil Wu, CEO of Absolar. “Solar has enormous potential to de-risk balance sheets against volatile energy markets, but the lack of reliable data has historically slowed investment. Our technology removes that friction and the barriers traditionally associated with a solar assessment.”
Proving commercial value
The technology has already proven its commercial value with the 107-year-old British brand Draper Tools. After a one-minute assessment via Absolar Orbit the company went on to commission a full installation across its Hampshire sites. Draper Tools now generates over half a million kWh of clean energy annually, covering more than 50% of its total energy needs.
Meeting government solar targets
The UK government has plans to increase solar capacity nearly fivefold to 70GW by 2035, with its Solar Taskforce focusing on leveraging the untapped potential of commercial rooftops to meet this goal. By replacing traditional, costly engineer site visits with high-accuracy remote sensing, Absolar Orbit is well positioned to accelerate the UK’s transition to a high-efficiency, low-carbon economy.
The company behind the technology
Absolar is a multi award-winning clean tech company, founded by scientists and engineers from the University of Southampton, who specialise in commercial solar installations. Using proprietary AI, LiDAR, and GIS technology, Absolar conducts remote solar surveys combining world leading digital mapping technology with full end to end solar installation and continuous optimisation. It can assess single buildings, multiple portfolios and even whole cities.
The company has drawn interest from major institutions including NatWest and the Royal Air Force, which commissioned Absolar to assess solar potential across its estate as part of its commitment to reach net zero by 2040 (10 years ahead of its original target).
Absolar’s Dr Wu concludes: “Solar has enormous potential to reduce carbon emissions, whilst at the same time, save businesses a huge amount of money.
“To tackle climate change, we need tools that make sustainable decisions easier, faster and based on reliable data. Our new technology supports this by translating complex modelling into clear, measurable statistics that eliminates any guess work or unnecessary complexity to understanding a building’s true solar potential.”
