Commercial Solar for Property Developers and New Developments

See how Bigfisch works with developers and commercial landlords to design solar-ready buildings and battery backup that meet regulatory requirements and add real tenant value.

Solar requirements for new developments now vary by municipality, with a growing number requiring or incentivising solar provision as a condition of planning approval. Bigfisch works with developers and architects at the design stage, specifying roof structure, electrical capacity and battery space upfront, since that's the cheapest point in any project to get right, not after handover.

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Why developers bring expertise in at design stage

Regulatory certainty

Solar-ready specifications are checked against the relevant municipal planning requirements before the building is designed, not after.

Resale and rental value

Solar-ready roof, electrical capacity and battery space stay in the building for the life of the asset, whether solar is installed on day one or not.

A partner who shows the working

Our proposals include real project figures rather than routing every question to a sales call.

Not sure yet what applies to your site?
Talk to us about your development.

Why solar requirements vary by municipality

Requirements for embedded generation vary between South African municipalities. GreenCape’s 2025 Energy Services Market Intelligence Report notes that, at the end of 2023, 71 of South Africa’s 257 municipalities permitted embedded-generation connections and 67 had formal application procedures. This makes an early, site-specific check with the relevant municipality or Eskom essential.

Solar requirements and embedded-generation processes vary between municipalities. For developers, addressing these requirements during the design stage can help avoid costly changes later in the project.

For commercial property developers, this usually surfaces as a planning-approval condition rather than a single national rule; what applies depends on the specific municipality and development type. This can show up as a green building rating requirement in the planning conditions, a minimum embedded generation allowance, or a municipal bylaw specific to the development’s location and size. We help developers work out which requirement applies to their site early, rather than discovering it midway through the approval process.

Designing solar-ready buildings from the start

Roof structure, electrical distribution and space for battery storage are all far easier to specify correctly during design. We work with developers and their architects at this stage, not just after handover.

In practice that means a roof and structural assessment at concept design, an electrical distribution board sized for future solar and battery capacity, and battery space confirmed before construction drawings are finalised.

This also protects budget: retrofitting roof reinforcement, extra distribution board capacity or battery space after a building is finished typically costs more than allowing for it at design stage. Where the capital cost of the system itself is the bigger question rather than the design allowance, that’s a financing conversation. Our Solar as a Service options are great for developments that would not tie up capital upfront.

See how a design stage review could work for a project like yours.

Book a free design-stage consultation.

Battery backup as a tenant amenity

For commercial landlords, battery backup is increasingly a leasing differentiator, not just an operating cost decision. Tenants notice which buildings keep the lights and Wi-Fi on during an outage.

Sized correctly, a battery storage system (BESS) can cover a building’s core services through most loadshedding stages, which is increasingly what tenants ask about at lease renewal. Office and light industrial tenants tend to raise this because their own operations and IT infrastructure depend on the same continuous power.

Solar, green buildings and commercial property value

Solar is only one part of the wider sustainability proposition for commercial property. Where a development is pursuing green building certification, energy efficiency and renewable energy can form part of a broader strategy to improve building performance and support tenant and investor expectations.

South African market evidence also suggests that green-certified property can perform differently from comparable non-certified assets. The 2024 MSCI South Africa Green Annual Property Index found that green-certified Prime and A-grade offices delivered a 10.1% total return in 2024, 120 basis points above comparable non-certified offices. Vacancy was also lower, at 11.1% compared with 14.8%.

These figures relate to green-certified buildings, not solar specifically, so they should not be interpreted that installing solar alone increases property value.

Financing solar without tying up development capital

Solar is rarely the whole answer to a net zero or green building certification target, but it is usually one of the largest single contributors available to a development, and one of the more straightforward to document.

Where a project is targeting a formal green building rating, the solar contribution needs to be documented in a way the certifying body will accept, not just installed and left off the paperwork.

Bigfisch works with funding partners so a development does not have to fund the system from its own capital. Depending on the project, the options can include rental or power-purchase-style arrangements, where you pay for the energy or a monthly fee instead of buying the system, and asset finance or lease structures, where Bigfisch designs and installs the system and the funder carries the capital cost.

Some structures can also be set up with Section 12B tax incentives in mind. Bigfisch cannot guarantee Section 12B deductions or payouts; eligibility depends on your tax position, so confirm with your tax adviser. All funding is subject to credit approval and eligibility. Talk to us about funding options for your development.

SSEG, Municipal Applications and grid compliance

Bigfisch brings EPC experience across feasibility, design, construction and compliance that transfers directly to a development timeline.

That includes the parts developers usually worry about handing to a new partner: SSEG registration, municipal Cost Estimate Letters and grid compliance, managed alongside the build programme and not bolted on afterwards.

See the full range of our commercial solar services for other sectors we work across.

Book a design-stage consultation with our team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do new commercial developments in South Africa require solar?

Requirements vary by municipality; we can help you check what applies to your specific development and location as part of an early consultation. Book an early consultation.

What does “solar-ready” design involve?

Solar-ready design means roof structure allowance, electrical distribution capacity and space reserved for battery storage, planned in from the start rather than retrofitted after the building is finished.

Can battery backup work as a tenant amenity?

For commercial tenants in particular, reliable power through loadshedding is increasingly treated as a building feature, not just background infrastructure.

Does specifying for solar add to our development budget or delay the programme?

Specifying roof structure, electrical capacity and battery space at design stage adds far less to the budget and programme. Where the full system’s capital cost is the concern rather than the design allowance, financing options such as Solar as a Service mean the development doesn’t need to fund the system outright.

Can Bigfisch work alongside our existing architect and contractor?

We typically join the project at design stage to specify solar-ready requirements, then work alongside the existing architect and main contractor through construction and compliance rather than replacing any part of that team.