Main system
Energy
How power is generated, moved and stored, and how grids adapt as more of the economy runs on electricity.
Electricity, renewables, grids and storage
Rooftop solar
Panels on homes, schools and warehouses that generate electricity where it is used.
The problem
Large solar farms need land and grid connections; much of the roof space in towns and cities sits unused.
Approach01
How it works
Output can power the building directly, charge a battery or be exported to the grid.
Panels are fitted to roofs that face the sun and can carry the extra load.
An inverter converts their output for use in the building or export to the grid.
Many systems pair with a battery or smart controls to use more of what they make on site.
Limitations02
Where it falls short
Output depends on orientation, shading and the season.
Older roofs may need repair or strengthening first.
Local grids can limit how much can be exported at busy times.
At a glance
Where it fits.
- Main system
- Energy
- Also shapes
- Transport, Buildings, Industry, Water
- Related solutions
- Grid-scale battery storage
- Used in
- Retrofitting an occupied building
How solutions are sourced and reviewed is set out in our methodology.
System and projects
In practice.
How insulation, heating upgrades and on-site solar might be sequenced while people keep using the building.
Many buildings stay in use while they are upgraded, which shapes what can be done and when.
Your questions, answered.
Quick answers about the platform and its content.
A technology or approach that addresses a specific problem in one or more systems, from heat pumps to land shared between farming and solar.
Only where a maturity stage is defined and backed by sources. We don't estimate one.
Always. Every solution lists where it falls short, alongside what it addresses and how it works.
To cover every system, from technologies like heat pumps and batteries to changes in how land, water and materials are used.
From published research and practice. Every entry is reviewed by people who know the field and linked to the systems, solutions and projects it relates to.
