Solar Panels Coming to a Self-Storage Facility Rooftop Near You

Self-storage powerhouse National Storage Affiliates Trust, in partnership with community solar developer Solar Landscape, is set to add solar panels to 8.5 million square feet of its rooftop space, according to an article from Electrek. “That’s enough solar panels to cover roughly 1,000 of NSA’s self-storage properties scattered across 42 states and Puerto Rico,” and is equal to 100 megawatts of solar capacity to power not just NSA facilities but also nearby homes and businesses. And thanks to the community solar model, the energy will be discounted, reports Michelle Lewis. “This setup means energy gets produced right where it’s needed, reducing strain on the grid and cutting down on energy costs for locals.”

As part of the partnership, NSA will lease Solar Landscape its rooftop space, while Solar Landscape will develop, own, and operate the solar systems. According to the article, the first sites are already under development. In another Electrek article from last year, Lewis reported that industrial rooftops are prime candidates for solar panel space; the U.S. has more than 450,000 warehouses and distribution centers offering up more than 16.4 billion of roof area. “[T]he rooftops of US warehouses built before 2019 alone have the potential to generate 185.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) of solar electricity annually – enough to power 19.4 million average households. That’s equivalent to roughly the entire New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area,” according to the 2023 article.

Given concerns about solar farms taking valuable farmland out of production, turning to large-footprint industrial rooftops to host panels could certainly be a promising alternative.