The Solar Feasibility Study Checklist — What a Real Assessment Should Cover

A commercial solar project lives or dies on the quality of its feasibility study. Get the feasibility right and every subsequent decision — technology selection, funder engagement, EPC tender, contract structure — has a solid foundation. Get it wrong or skip steps, and issues surface at commissioning that could have been caught for a fraction of the cost at the desktop stage. This is the checklist SOLINK uses on every commercial and industrial feasibility assessment. Use it to interrogate any feasibility report you receive from a solar EPC or funder.

1. Verified Consumption Profile

Twelve months of half-hourly (or at minimum monthly) consumption data — not an annual total. Without this, no honest yield or offset analysis is possible.

2. Tariff Analysis

The current tariff must be broken down into energy, demand, network access, admin and fixed components — with each component's likely trajectory over the next five to ten years modelled explicitly.

3. Roof or Land Suitability

Structural capacity assessment for rooftop projects (asbestos, IBR gauge, purlin spacing, age); geotechnical, drainage and access review for ground-mount. Both include shading modelling from surrounding structures, vegetation and terrain.

4. Grid Connection Constraints

Confirmation of the existing supply capacity, the notified maximum demand, and the network operator's willingness to accept embedded generation at the required capacity. Grid unavailability is the fastest-growing project killer in South Africa.

5. Yield Modelling

A production simulation (PVsyst or equivalent) using site-specific solar resource data — not national averages. Include soiling, shading, inverter clipping, temperature derating and degradation over the plant's economic life.

6. Business Case & Tariff Escalation Modelling

The financial model must be sensitivity-tested against multiple Eskom / municipal tariff scenarios, discount rates, and O&M assumptions. A single-point IRR is not a business case; a range is.

7. Structural, Fire & Insurance Review

Coordination with the site's insurer is often the step that gets skipped — and then blocks the project at commissioning. Include fire suppression, cable routing, rooftop access and insurance liaison.

8. Environmental & Permitting Assessment

Environmental screening (Basic Assessment or full EIA where triggered), municipal building plan requirements, NERSA registration path, and where relevant, aviation glint & glare screening.

9. BESS Sizing Sensitivity

Even if BESS is not initially in scope, the feasibility should quantify the incremental value of a right-sized battery for peak demand reduction. Many commercial sites unlock 30% more savings by pairing solar with storage.

10. Funding Structure Options

Own & finance, PPA, lease, or solar asset refinancing (for existing assets). Each has a different balance-sheet, tax and cash-flow profile and should be compared on a like-for-like basis.

11. Tax Structuring

Section 12B modelling based on the actual asset commissioning window and ownership structure — plus interaction with any capex allowances or investment incentives already claimed.

12. Risk Register & Recommendation

A ranked risk register (technical, commercial, regulatory) with mitigation cost estimates. A recommendation that is actually a recommendation — not a menu of options.

How to Use This Checklist

If any feasibility study you receive omits four or more of the twelve items above, it is not a feasibility study — it is a sales document. SOLINK conducts independent feasibility assessments that cover every point on this list. Get in touch to request one for your site.