The knowledge that determines whether a commercial solar project goes well is rarely visible in a proposal. It sits in the decisions made during pre-construction, in how a team responds when something unexpected comes up on site, and in the understanding of regulations that have changed significantly over the past four years alone. That kind of knowledge takes time to build.
Mike Wilde, Operations Director at Lynx Sustainable Solutions, has been delivering solar installations for nearly 20 years. He started as an electrician, moved into domestic solar, and has spent the majority of his career working on large-scale commercial projects, making him an essential part of the team. Below, he shares what that time has taught him.
I started doing solar when the job was, by today’s standards, straightforward. Panel on the roof, inverter, point of connection. The system worked, or it did not, and the reasons why were usually obvious. Commercial came next, and I have been doing it for most of my career. What has changed in that time is not what most people would expect.
The technology is not where the complexity lives anymore
Ask most people what has changed in solar over 20 years and they will say the technology. Panels are more efficient, yes. Inverters have better monitoring, yes. But an inverter still converts DC to AC. A panel still converts sunlight. The core of what we install has not fundamentally changed, and the mounting systems I am specifying now are not that different from those used a decade ago.
What has changed beyond recognition is everything around the point of connection. When I started in commercial solar, connecting to the grid was the straightforward part. You found a suitable distribution board, you connected the system, and you were done. That world is gone. The electrical infrastructure, the DNO relationship, and the design of how and where you connect are where the complexity is, and it is where experience really counts.
Regulations can change the economics of a project overnight
The guidance on points of connection for PV systems has changed significantly over recent years and continues to evolve. What that means in practice is that the cost of connecting a system, and sometimes whether a project stacks up at all, can shift considerably depending on how well you understand where the regulations are and where they may change. You have to have a deep knowledge of regulation and anticipate change.
We were recently working through revised regulations and guidance on points of connection, and the swing in cost on one project was significant. A connection solution we had been pricing at around £80,000 came down to £15,000 to £20,000 once the guidance had been implemented. That is the difference between a project being viable and a client walking away from it.
Good project managers know something about everything
Project management in solar looked very different 15 years ago. You had a programme, you delivered it, and the job was done. That is still the outcome, but the project manager’s role is almost unrecognisable.
The project managers I work with now are accountable for health and safety compliance, for reading and responding to regulatory requirements, for managing client communication at whatever level of detail each client needs, and for keeping an on-site team engaged enough to tell them when something is not right rather than quietly fudging it through. The best project managers know enough about everything to know what to ask, who to bring in, how to communicate, and when to escalate. And critically, they must be good with people, on both sides of the project.
Building that culture takes deliberate effort and is a fundamental part of how Lynx Sustainable Solutions operates. We really consider many of the so-called ‘softer’ skills when adding to our team. If the people doing the work do not feel they can come to you with a problem, they will not. And that is when small issues become expensive ones.
Clients need the full picture, not the version that sells the job
Some clients want to know everything. They have internal engineering teams; they will scrutinise the design and want to understand every decision. Others want the cost, the output, and the start date. Both are completely reasonable. But what every client needs, regardless of how involved they want to be, is an accurate picture of the project.
I have seen the results when that does not happen. Jobs get sold on the headline numbers without the complications being highlighted. The complications do not disappear. They turn up on site, mid-programme, when they are significantly more expensive and disruptive to deal with. The difficult conversation at the proposal stage is always cheaper than the crisis conversation six months into a project.
The day you think you know everything is the day you become a liability
I get asked what the biggest single lesson from nearly 20 years is, and the honest answer is that I cannot give one. What I know now, compared to what I knew ten or five years ago, is substantially different. Not just about PV systems or electrical infrastructure, but about how to manage problems, how to read a client, how to build a team that functions well under pressure.
The thing I would say with confidence is this: every problem is specific. The fact that you have resolved something similar before does not mean you know how this one works. The moment you stop approaching it fresh is the moment you start missing things.
The regulations changed again yesterday. I was in a meeting about it this morning. That is not unusual. This industry keeps moving, and keeping pace with it is the job. Anyone who tells you they have got solar figured out has probably stopped paying attention.
If you are looking for a solar partner with the experience and technical depth to deliver your project properly, please get in touch.
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