As the U.S. faces surging electricity demand fueled by heat waves and the rapid expansion of data centers, a new partnership between SolarEdge and Solar Landscape aims to tap an underused resource: warehouse rooftops. The companies plan to install 630 megawatts of solar capacity across more than 500 commercial and industrial buildings over the next year, marking the largest rooftop solar project in U.S. history. Once completed, the installations will generate enough electricity to power approximately 80,000 homes.
Currently, less than 5% of commercial and industrial rooftops host solar panels, despite the vast potential of these large, flat surfaces. Industry analysts estimate that U.S. warehouses could generate 185.6 terawatt hours of electricity annually, covering roughly 16% of household energy demand. Rooftop solar offers a strategic advantage by being “out of sight, out of mind,” avoiding common “not in my backyard” pushback that has slowed ground-mounted solar projects. It also strengthens grid resiliency by distributing energy generation closer to the point of consumption and can be paired with battery storage to reduce strain during peak demand.
The initiative comes amid a policy and market crossroads for U.S. solar. Some tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act are set to expire, while the Trump administration’s proposed “big beautiful bill” could complicate financing. Yet experts argue that the economics of rooftop solar remain compelling, with installations delivering quick, cost-effective power even without subsidies. For commercial real estate owners, leasing rooftop space can also boost net operating income by 3% to 5%, creating financial as well as sustainability benefits.
Solar Landscape, which partners with developers such as Prologis, Ares Management, and Public Storage, sees this as just the beginning of large-scale rooftop solar adoption. “Five years ago, this kind of scale was unimaginable,” said CEO Shaun Keegan, noting that rooftop projects could become a critical piece of the nation’s effort to meet rising energy needs and support the AI-driven data center boom.
