Gailes Hotel Solar Project — Part 1: Why a Hotel Goes Solar
Behind the video: why Gailes Hotel & Spa chose Ecoaim for their solar transformation, and the business case for hospitality solar in Scotland.
Watch the video first
📺 The Gailes Hotel — Part 1 (0:25)
Hospitality is the hidden solar champion
Hotels run high daytime loads — kitchens, laundry, HVAC, lighting, ice machines, pool plant. These align almost perfectly with solar generation. Most UK hotels are paying 28-38p/kWh for daytime commercial electricity. Every kWh of solar self-consumed saves 13-25p net (after export displacement maths).
Why Gailes Hotel & Spa chose solar
Gailes is a leisure-led venue — golf course, spa, function rooms. Power demand is high year-round, with summer peaks aligning beautifully with solar's strongest months.
The business case wrote itself once the half-hourly meter data came through:
- Daytime load shape strong from 06:00 to 21:00
- Year-round occupancy (not just summer)
- Roof area sufficient for 80-150kWp
- Three-phase already on site
- South-east aspect roof
The Gailes install
Phase 1 (this video): planning, design, DNO application, feasibility-to-construction transition.
Phase 2 (separate video): the actual install rollout.
What this means for other Scottish hotels
If you're running a hotel anywhere from Edinburgh to the Highlands, the maths is similar. Typical hospitality install:
- System size: 60-180kWp depending on roof + half-hourly data
- Payback: 5-8 years CapEx route
- PPA option: zero CapEx, fixed long-term unit rate below current grid rates
- Brand value: measurable ESG signal for sustainability-conscious guests
Related
- 🎥 Part 2: The Gailes installation
- 🏨 Sector page: Hotels & hospitality solar
- 📖 Case study: Stirling boutique hotel 90kWp + battery
Free feasibility study for any UK hotel: 03330 384 380.
Call 03330 384 380 or get a quote online — survey + quote within 24 hours.
Want to see more real installs? Watch our other YouTube videos and read the full deep-dives.
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