Key Takeaways
Warehouses and logistics centres are, on paper, close to ideal candidates for solar: large roof areas, high daytime electricity use, and operating hours that match when the sun is out. This article looks at what actually matters when evaluating solar for this type of facility in Malaysia.
Warehouses are typically built with large, flat, open roof spans, without the dormers, chimneys, or complex rooflines that complicate solar installation on many other building types. This generally means a higher percentage of usable roof area and fewer shading obstructions to work around.
Ballasted mounting systems, which use weighted frames rather than roof penetrations, are often an option on flat warehouse roofs, which can simplify installation and reduce the risk of leaks at mounting points, subject to a structural engineer confirming the roof can carry the additional weight.
Most warehouses and logistics centres operate primarily during daylight hours, and their biggest electricity draws, lighting, material handling equipment, and HVAC, tend to run heaviest while the building is in use. This is a genuinely good match for solar, since a rooftop system generates most of its output during exactly those hours, rather than in the evening when consumption shifts for many other building types.
Facilities running cold storage are a slightly different case worth calling out specifically. Refrigeration compressors generally need to run continuously, day and night, to hold temperature, which means a meaningful share of a cold storage facility’s electricity load doesn’t actually fall within daylight hours at all. Solar can still meaningfully offset the daytime portion of that load, which is often substantial, but it won’t cover overnight refrigeration on its own.
This is one of the clearer cases where pairing solar with battery storage adds real value, since stored daytime solar energy can continue supporting refrigeration loads after the sun goes down, rather than the facility simply drawing from the grid at night as if no solar system existed.
Facilities running heavy machinery, such as forklifts, conveyor systems, or automated material handling, tend to create sharper, less predictable spikes in electricity demand, particularly when large motors start up. These spikes can drive up demand charges under a commercial tariff structure, since charges are often based on a facility’s peak demand, not just total energy used.
A solar and battery combination can help smooth out some of these peaks, drawing on stored energy during a spike rather than pulling the full amount from the grid at once, which can meaningfully affect the demand charge portion of an electricity bill over time.
This is where Malaysia’s specific rules matter. Under Solar ATAP, the national rooftop solar scheme, non-domestic consumers can generally install systems up to 100% of their Maximum Demand, capped at 1,000 kWac, with excess exported electricity credited based on the Average System Marginal Price.
For warehouses with very high daytime consumption that would use most or all of the solar output on-site anyway, Self-Consumption (SELCO) is also worth considering, since it involves no scheme enrolment and no export limit in the same way, the system is simply sized to what the building can use directly. Larger facilities that need capacity beyond what rooftop space alone can provide may also want to look at supplementary options like the Corporate Renewable Energy Supply Scheme (CRESS) for sourcing additional renewable electricity through the grid.
Before committing to a system size, a proper structural assessment of the roof is essential, particularly for older warehouses, since roof load-bearing capacity, the condition of the roofing material, and remaining roof lifespan all affect what’s feasible.
Installation can often be scheduled around operating hours to minimise disruption to warehouse activity, and systems can sometimes be installed in phases, covering part of the roof initially and expanding later, depending on budget and energy needs. Where roof space is constrained or unsuitable, a carport-style array over a loading yard or parking area is sometimes used as an alternative or supplement to rooftop panels.
Warehouse operators have the same broad financing choices available to any commercial solar project, buying the system outright, financing it through a loan, leasing it, or entering a Power Purchase Agreement, each with different upfront cost and ownership trade-offs.
Businesses that own their system may also want to look into solar incentives such as the Green Investment Tax Allowance (GITA) and Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS), both of which are reported to be scheduled to expire at the end of 2026, which makes timing a relevant factor for anyone considering ownership this year.
Not automatically. Older roofs in particular may need reinforcement or repair before they can safely carry a solar system, which is why a structural assessment is generally the first step rather than an afterthought.
Partially on its own. Solar can meaningfully offset daytime refrigeration load, but since cold storage compressors typically run around the clock, pairing solar with battery storage generally extends the benefit into overnight hours as well.
Under Solar ATAP, excess exported electricity is credited based on the prevailing System Marginal Price for non-domestic consumers. Under SELCO, there’s no export at all, so the system is sized to the building’s own consumption instead.
Under Solar ATAP, non-domestic systems are generally capped at 100% of Maximum Demand up to 1,000 kWac. Facilities needing more than this may want to explore SELCO or additional renewable electricity sourcing options.
With large roof areas and electricity use that often peaks right when the sun is out, warehouses and logistics centres are frequently strong candidates for solar, provided the roof itself can support it and, for cold storage or heavy machinery operations, the load profile is properly accounted for.
Ray Go Solar has delivered logistics and warehousing solar projects across Johor and Selangor, ranging from roughly 328 kWp to 568 kWp in size, collectively avoiding over 1,180 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
For facilities with cold storage or heavy machinery specifically, battery energy storage is worth evaluating alongside solar from the outset, rather than as an afterthought, to get the most value out of the system around the clock.
