How big is the solar system installed at Dakota Hotel?
Alliant Energy installed a 251.62kWp solar PV system using 572 panels paired with a SolarEdge inverter. The installation took 3 weeks from arrival on site to commissioning.
Project overview
We worked with Dakota Hotels as the first phase in their decarbonisation journey, by installing 251 kWp of solar at their Eurocentral – Motherwell location they have begun significantly reducing their carbon footprint. They plan to roll this out to their other locations across the UK. Dakota Hotels are a luxury lifestyle brand, synonymous with style and impeccable service. Sophisticated yet cool, with timeless style, each hotel has effortlessly chic guest rooms and suites, complete with high-quality, bespoke furnishings, jewel-toned velvet furniture, and accented with a colour palette of muted, soothing greys.
The challenge
Like most hospitality operations, Dakota Hotel faced a structural exposure to wholesale electricity prices — a cost line that doubled for many UK businesses between 2021 and 2023 and shows no sign of returning to pre-crisis levels. With significant daytime load and suitable roof space, on-site generation was the obvious lever, but the project needed to stand on its own commercial merits: predictable payback, manufacturer-backed warranties, and zero operational disruption during install.
The solution Alliant Energy designed
Following a structural roof survey and DNO capacity check, Alliant Energy specified a 251.62kWp array using 572 high-efficiency mono-PERC panels, paired with a SolarEdge hybrid inverter. The SolarEdge platform was chosen for its export-management capability and remote firmware updates, allowing the array to be tuned over its life without site visits. Surplus generation is exported to the grid under a Smart Export Guarantee tariff, providing a secondary revenue stream alongside the primary saving on imported electricity.
Install & commissioning
The full installation completed in 3 weeks, scheduled around the customer's operating hours to avoid downtime. Work was carried out by Alliant Energy's directly employed MCS-registered engineers — no subcontracted labour. The system was commissioned to G99 requirements, registered with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme, and handed over with monitoring access, electrical certification, and structural sign-off documents on the day of completion.
Financial outcome
In its first full year of operation the system is on track to save Dakota Hotel approximately £56,913 on electricity costs, with a payback term of 3.9 Years and a projected total ROI of 641%. Over the 25-year warranted life of the panels, the cumulative saving is forecast at £1.42M — a figure that improves materially if grid prices continue their long-term upward trend, and that benefits from the UK's 100% full-expensing capital allowance for qualifying solar assets.
Environmental impact
The installation displaces roughly 42.2 Tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year compared with grid-sourced electricity. Over the system's 25-year design life that is the equivalent of removing more than Dakota Hotel's entire annual Scope 2 footprint several times over — a material data point for ESG, B-Corp and net-zero reporting frameworks.
Why it matters for the hospitality sector
Hospitality businesses typically run daytime electrical loads — refrigeration, machinery, IT, lighting, compressors — that overlap closely with solar generation. That overlap is what drives strong economics: every unit generated and consumed on-site replaces a unit that would otherwise be bought from the grid at full commercial rates. The Dakota Hotel project demonstrates how the model scales for this kind of operation.
System
251.62kWp
Panels
572
Inverter
SolarEdge
Install
3 Weeks
Project FAQ
How much does Dakota Hotel save each year?
Dakota Hotel saves approximately £56,913 per year on electricity, with projected lifetime savings of £1.42M over the system's 25-year guaranteed performance period. The payback term is 3.9 Years, delivering a total ROI of 641%.
Was the project funded or paid for upfront?
This project was paid for directly by the customer. Under the UK's full-expensing capital allowance, the entire cost can be deducted from corporation tax in year one — improving the effective payback meaningfully for profitable companies.
What's the environmental impact?
The system avoids around 42.2 Tonnes of CO₂ emissions every year compared with grid-sourced electricity. Over a 25-year design life that's a material contribution toward Scope 2 reduction and any ESG or net-zero reporting commitments the business holds.
Could a similar system work for my business?
Probably — the same hardware platform (panels, hybrid inverter, optional battery) scales from roughly 10kW up to 1MW+. The deciding factors are roof area, daytime electricity use, current unit rate, and grid-connection capacity. Alliant Energy carries out a free desktop feasibility study and follow-up site survey before quoting.
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