Background Story

Businesses across MENA are embracing solar energy — but the form it takes can vary dramatically. Rooftop PV is popular with urban C&I facilities, ground-mounted arrays suit industrial sites with spare land, and utility-scale projects power entire regions. Choosing the right model is not about the latest trend — it’s about aligning the project type with energy demand, site constraints, and financing capacity.


 

Problems
 

• One-size-fits-all approaches: Businesses may be pushed toward rooftop or ground-mounted projects without proper feasibility studies
• Site constraints: Limited roof load capacity, shading, or lack of land can reduce generation potential
• Mismatch of supply and demand: Systems may produce energy when it’s not needed, reducing ROI
• Financing confusion: Different models have different PPA, leasing, or capex implications

Main Objectives

• Explain the strengths and limitations of rooftop, carport, ground-mounted, and utility-scale solar
• Provide guidance on matching model selection with load profiles and operational priorities
• Help decision-makers avoid costly mismatches between system design and actual energy needs

Approach

This insight examines the four main deployment models, their ideal use cases, and the decision criteria to evaluate each. It draws on regional examples from UAE, Jordan, Egypt, and Morocco, comparing cost, output potential, and payback periods.

 

Results

• Businesses aligning model choice with energy profiles achieve higher utilization rates and shorter payback periods
• Rooftop and carport systems remain most popular for urban C&I users, while ground-mounted and utility-scale dominate industrial and large investor projects
• Clear pre-feasibility studies help avoid overbuilding or underutilizing systems, ensuring financial performance matches expectations

Summary

When it comes down to the benefits, both options provide the same benefits to the clients, the only difference would be the actual presence of the system within the customer’s property. Perhaps the latter would have the additional benefit of promoting the client’s image by promoting their installed system to the customers stakeholders.