Genie Insights is celebrating a major milestone, with more than one megawatt (1MW) of installed solar generation capacity now deployed across more than 16,000 LCVs, trucks and trailers.

This milestone has been achieved through thousands of individual solar panels fitted to working commercial vehicles, each generating electricity to help maintain battery charge or provide supplementary onboard power.

To put the scale into perspective, the combined capacity is comparable to that of a conventional solar farm covering approximately five acres of land.

Matt Reeve, MD of Genie Insights said: “Reaching one megawatt of deployed vehicle solar capacity is a significant achievement for our business, reflecting the progress we’ve made in raising awareness of vehicle solar and encouraging its adoption across the commercial vehicle industry over the past seven years.

“We’re seeing vehicle manufacturers, converters and fleet operators who are approaching us proactively to explore how solar can address their onboard power requirements. What was once a relatively unfamiliar technology is now being adopted across a growing range of commercial vehicle applications, with more businesses recognising the benefits of generating electricity directly on the vehicle.”

The milestone builds on six consecutive winters of commercial deployment experience, with Genie Insights’ solar systems, incorporating UK-manufactured MIPV technology, demonstrating consistent performance across a range of vehicle applications and operating conditions. Throughout this period, the company has received no reports from customers of premature battery failures on vehicles equipped with its solar battery maintenance systems.

The achievement also comes amid growing international interest in vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (VIPV), with recent research from the US, Europe and Japan examining the potential for solar generation on vehicles.

European Commission research has suggested that widespread vehicle solar adoption could reduce demand on Europe’s electricity grid by as much as 15.6TWh (Terawatt-hours) annually – enough electricity to power more than four million homes for a year.

Reeve added:

“When we first introduced vehicle solar solutions, there was understandable caution across the industry. Solar had been trialled on commercial vehicles before, but earlier technologies weren’t always well suited to the operating conditions, leaving operators sceptical about its potential.

Over the past seven years, we’ve worked to change those perceptions by demonstrating what flexible CIGS solar technology can achieve in commercial vehicle applications. Today, we’re seeing growing adoption among vehicle manufacturers, converters and fleet operators, driven by their own experience and the results achieved across commercial fleets.

Reaching this milestone reflects how far we’ve come in establishing solar as a practical solution to battery-related challenges, while contributing to fleet uptime and decarbonisation goals.”

When a fleet operator asks us about solar, one of the first things we want to know is why. What is happening on the vehicle? What isn’t working as it should? What is costing money, creating downtime or limiting what the vehicle can do?

Those questions matter because solar panels for commercial vehicles shouldn’t simply be fitted wherever there is available roof space.

For the right application, commercial vehicle solar can be an extremely effective source of supplementary power. But the starting point should always be the outcome the fleet needs to achieve.

At Genie Insights, we have been developing solar solutions for commercial vehicles since 2019. Over that time, one lesson has become increasingly clear: start with the problem, then determine the best way to solve it.

What Is Actually Happening on the Vehicle?

The power demands placed on commercial vehicles have changed considerably. Specialist vehicles may add refrigeration, tail lifts or other ancillary equipment. Vehicles are now fitted with telematics, cameras, tracking equipment, communications technology and safety systems. And those demands don’t necessarily disappear when the engine or ignition is switched off.

The result can be a persistent drain on the vehicle’s electrical system, batteries operating at a lower state of charge, premature battery replacement and, in more serious cases, vehicles that simply aren’t available when they’re needed.

Before recommending a solution, we want to understand how much power is being consumed, when it is being consumed, how the vehicle operates and what impact the issue is having on the fleet.

From there, we can assess the available energy sources, model different scenarios and determine what is realistically achievable. For larger or more complex projects, that can also mean piloting the proposed solution on vehicles in normal operation before committing to a wider rollout across the fleet.

Measure the Outcome That Actually Matters

This also changes how the return on investment should be considered.  If a solar system generates a relatively modest amount of electricity but prevents a working vehicle from losing battery charge and being taken out of service, what is that energy really worth?

It could mean:

• avoiding a roadside or depot call-out
• preventing a premature battery replacement
• keeping an engineer on the road
• avoiding a missed delivery
• protecting a refrigerated load; or
• ensuring onboard systems continue to have the power they require.

There can be an environmental benefit too. Helping batteries remain at a healthy state of charge can extend their useful life, reducing unnecessary replacement and the associated material and environmental impact.  Read more about this here.

This is particularly relevant to the 12V battery challenges we are increasingly seeing in modern commercial vehicles, where relatively small but persistent electrical loads can have a disproportionately large operational consequence.

Our work with Centrica and Isuzu UK are good examples.  These projects didn’t begin with a requirement to fit solar panels to electric vehicles. They began with a problem we were able to solve with solar.

The Same Vehicle Doesn’t Always Mean the Same Solution

In commercial vehicle operation, no two vehicles do the same work:

• One may operate every day; another may regularly sit unused.
• One may cover 200 miles a day on a trunking route; the other could be a start-stop operation within a 10-mile radius in a busy urban environment.

Even two apparently identical vans may not have identical energy requirements depending on the amount and type of equipment drawing power from the auxiliary battery. We see this all the time – both between different fleet operators and within the same fleet, where vehicles may be equipped differently or used for different jobs.

Location, season, duty cycle, electrical architecture, battery capacity, available installation area and the equipment being powered can all influence what will work.

That’s why we don’t believe there should be a default commercial vehicle solar specification.  There should be a defined requirement, followed by a solution designed to meet it.

This customer-led approach is also reflected in recent international research. A 2025 IEA PVPS report examining the challenges associated with wider adoption of vehicle-integrated photovoltaics reached a very succinct conclusion: customer benefit is decisive.

The report argues that wider adoption will depend on the technology providing a meaningful advantage through cost, convenience or some other form of unique value.

That conclusion resonates strongly with us. While Genie Insights has been developing commercial vehicle solar solutions since 2019, our perspective is shaped by decades of experience working in and around the commercial vehicle industry.

And Sometimes Solar Isn’t the Whole Answer

Starting with the requirement rather than the product also means being open to a broader solution.

Solar can be an effective way of generating supplementary power onboard a commercial vehicle, but generation is only part of the picture. Depending on the application, the vehicle may also need additional energy storage, power conversion or greater control over how and when that energy is used. In some cases, the right solution may combine several technologies, especially as vehicles become more electrically complex and the number of onboard systems requiring power continues to grow.

For Genie Insights, that is driving an evolution from thinking purely about vehicle solar towards thinking more broadly about commmerical vehicle power solutions.  In practice, that means looking at the vehicle as a complete energy system and deciding which combination of generation, storage and power management best addresses its requirements.

The Right Solution Starts With the Right Question

For us, the most important question isn’t “Can we put solar on this vehicle?”

That may sound unusual from a company that has deployed more than 15,000 solar panels across a variety of commercial vehicles, but solar is not automatically the right answer for every vehicle, every application or every fleet.  Where it is the right answer, however, it should be because there is a clearly understood requirement and a realistic expectation of what the system will achieve.

So if you’re considering solar for a commercial vehicle, our advice is simple: Don’t start by asking what panel you need.   Start by asking what problem you need to solve.

Is Your Fleet Facing a Power Challenge?

Battery failures, increasing auxiliary loads, new onboard equipment and changing vehicle technology are all creating new demands for power across commercial fleets.

Whether you’re considering commercial vehicle solar, additional battery capacity or a more integrated vehicle power solution, talk to Genie Insights about the problem first.  We’ll help you work out what the solution should be.

Building on our recent look at European research highlighting the growing potential of solar panels for commercial vehicles and other forms of vehicle-integrated solar, findings published by the US Department of Energy provide another perspective, focusing on what is needed to support wider real-world adoption.

In our previous article, we explored the European SolarMoves research into the potential contribution of vehicle-integrated solar to future transport. Commissioned by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, the research suggested widespread adoption could reduce demand on Europe’s electricity grid by 15.6TWh annually.

Research published by the US Department of Energy (DOE) adds another dimension to the international conversation around vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (VIPV).

Back in 2022, the DOE‘s Solar Energy Technologies Office and Vehicle Technologies Office sought views from fleet operators, manufacturers, research institutions, and other industry stakeholders on the opportunities and challenges associated with vehicle solar. The findings looked beyond the potential of the technology to consider what might be needed to support wider adoption.

At the time, respondents identified commercial trucks and trailers as one of the biggest opportunities. They pointed towards auxiliary power as a primary use case and highlighted requirements around weight, flexibility, vibration, reliability, safety, standards and system integration.

These weren’t predictions about what commercial vehicle solar would eventually look like. They were the issues the industry believed needed to be addressed.

Four years on, we can compare them with what we’re actually seeing in commercial deployment.

Commercial Vehicle Solar Emerged as a Key Opportunity

One of the clearest themes from the DOE consultation was the potential for solar in commercial vehicle applications. Commercial trucks and trailers were generally viewed by respondents as representing the largest market opportunity for vehicle solar, with utility vehicles, transport refrigeration units, buses and local delivery fleets among the applications identified as particularly promising.

This strongly reflects what Genie Insights has seen in practice. Commercial vehicle solar has been our focus since our first fleet trial in 2019. What began with a single trial has since grown into around 16,000 solar panels deployed across vans, trucks and refrigerated trailers.

That growth has given us a front-row view of increasing market acceptance of vehicle solar and, importantly, of the applications where it can deliver the greatest operational value.

The DOE consultation also identified supporting auxiliary electrical loads as one of the two primary use cases for vehicle solar, alongside contributing energy towards vehicle propulsion.

Again, there is a direct correlation with our experience. While vehicle-integrated solar is now often discussed in the context of extending EV range, the majority of systems we currently supply have a different purpose: maintaining the vehicle’s 12V battery and helping to offset the parasitic drain created by auxiliary equipment.

Telematics, cameras, tracking, safety and communications systems can continue to draw power even when a vehicle isn’t being driven. As commercial vehicles become increasingly connected and sophisticated, we are seeing this become a growing challenge for fleet operators.

Solar panels for commercial vehicles can provide a continuous source of supplementary energy to help replenish the power being drawn from the battery, maintain its state of charge and reduce the risk of battery-related operational issues.

The Value of Vehicle Solar Goes Beyond Energy Generation

One particularly interesting observation within the DOE findings was that the value of vehicle solar can extend beyond simply the amount of electricity generated.

For commercial vehicle operators, solar energy can be used to support a range of vehicle functions, from maintaining batteries and supporting auxiliary equipment to reducing demand placed on conventional vehicle power sources.

This closely reflects Genie Insights’ approach. Rather than selecting an off-the-shelf panel based on its rated wattage, we start with the problem the fleet operator is trying to solve and model the system around the vehicle’s actual energy requirements. Where appropriate, we also undertake real-world trials to validate the predicted outcome before wider deployment.

The real value of solar therefore isn’t necessarily the monetary value of the electricity generated, but the operational benefits it can deliver. By helping to maintain a healthier battery state of charge, solar can help protect battery health and extend battery life, reducing the financial and environmental impact of premature battery replacement, while also minimising the risk of battery-related vehicle downtime.

Putting a Solar Panel on a Commercial Vehicle is Only the Beginning

The DOE consultation also highlighted some of the practical challenges that differentiate vehicle solar from conventional stationary photovoltaic installations, such as those traditionally found on buildings.

Respondents identified weight, flexibility, vibration resistance, reliability, lifetime, maintenance and safety among the key requirements, together with the need for appropriate testing and standards.

Solar technology installed on a vehicle must contend with changing temperatures and weather, and rapidly changing levels of sunlight and shading while continuing to perform reliably.

Many of these requirements reinforce why we believe CIGS is particularly well suited to commercial vehicle applications. Its fundamental characteristics address several of the challenges identified by respondents: it is lightweight, flexible enough to follow the contours of a vehicle surface and, thanks to its glass-free construction, highly robust and shatter-resistant, while also performing well in the variable light and shading conditions encountered by vehicles in everyday operation. Read more about the advantages of CIGS solar technology for commercial vehicles here.

The CIGS solar panel at the heart of our system is manufactured in the UK by MIPV and has its origins in building-integrated photovoltaics, bringing with it an established foundation of testing and certification, including stringent fire-performance requirements.

We’ve then built on that foundation for the commercial vehicle environment. Genie Insights has invested significantly in testing, certification and product assurances specifically for commercial vehicle applications, designing the complete system and selecting each component specifically for the demands of transport. The system is tested against internationally recognised standards covering areas including vibration and mechanical shock, extreme environmental conditions, electrical safety, weather resistance and the strength and durability of the panel bonding system.

Our MPPT charge controller is ECE R10 certified for electromagnetic compatibility, making it suitable for integration into type-approved vehicle builds and conversions.

But our assurance process doesn’t stop with the panel or charge controller. We apply the same rigorous approach across the complete kit, including cables and connectors, ensuring each is appropriately specified and validated for its role within the system. And installation quality is equally important. We apply stringent installation standards, including installer training, defined installation procedures, sign-off and quality checks, to ensure the integrity of the solution is maintained once fitted to the vehicle.

Our approach is therefore to provide an engineered and validated commercial vehicle solar solution, rather than a collection of individually sourced components. From product selection and system design through to installation and quality assurance, every element is considered around the realities of life on a working vehicle, helping to minimise operational and compliance risk throughout its service life.

The concerns highlighted through the DOE consultation therefore strongly reinforce the approach we have taken from the outset: putting a solar panel on a vehicle is relatively straightforward; engineering and installing a safe, reliable and credible commercial vehicle solar solution requires considerably more.

Four Years Later, How Far Have We Come?

The DOE’s RFI captured what industry stakeholders thought vehicle solar needed back in 2022.  Four years later, many of those requirements remain highly relevant. What has changed is the amount of commercial experience now available.

Since our first fleet trial in 2019, we have supplied more than 16,000 solar panels across commercial vans, trucks and trailers. We’ve seen where solar works, how systems need to be specified around different vehicle applications and what happens when they move from controlled trials into fleet-wide deployment.

So many of the issues raised in the DOE consultation in 2022 mirror the areas we’ve spent the intervening years working on, from selecting the right technology to creating what we believe is the blueprint for transport solar testing and accreditation.

There is still plenty of development ahead for vehicle-integrated solar, but four years on from the DOE’s RFI, commercial vehicle solar is no longer just an opportunity being discussed. Thousands of systems are already out there doing a job on working vehicles every day.

Could Solar Help Solve an Energy Challenge Within Your Fleet?

Whether you are looking to maintain 12V or 24V vehicle batteries, add supplementary power, power onboard systems, or explore a new commercial vehicle solar application, our team can assess the requirement, model the potential solution and determine whether solar can deliver the right outcome.

Talk to Genie Insights about your commercial fleet’s energy requirements.