Award-Winning Rooftop Solar Installation at Sarit Centre, Nairobi

Spenomatic installed a rooftop solar PV system of more than 2 MW across the roofs of Sarit Centre, the landmark shopping and business complex in Westlands, Nairobi. The installation won Best Solar Project of the Year at the Solar Week Kenya Awards in April 2025, recognised for delivering an innovative, high-impact project at one of Nairobi’s busiest malls.

Project at a glance

About Sarit Centre

Sarit Centre is one of Nairobi’s best-known commercial landmarks and East and Central Africa’s first enclosed shopping mall. Its multi-level complex brings together retail, dining, entertainment, offices and the Sarit Expo Centre, drawing a steady flow of shoppers, tenants and event visitors throughout the week.

A complex on that scale carries a large, continuous electricity demand, which makes it a strong candidate for on-site solar generation.

Why solar suits a shopping and business complex

A mall’s largest electricity loads run during trading hours, when the sun is up. Air conditioning and ventilation, lighting in shops and common areas, lifts and escalators, and refrigeration for supermarkets and food outlets all draw power through the day.

That close match between daytime demand and solar generation means much of the electricity a rooftop system produces can be used on site as it is generated, cutting the amount bought from the grid during the busiest part of the day.

Engineering more than 2 MW across a complex roofscape

Sarit Centre is not one simple roof. The complex is made up of several connected buildings with different roof levels, rooftop plant, glazed roof sections and access routes, set among high-rise towers in one of Nairobi’s busiest commercial districts. The aerial photos show how the arrays were laid out to work with that roofscape:

• Arrays on each roof section. Panel rows cover the main roof blocks and follow the orientation of each building rather than forcing a single layout across the site.
• Clearances around plant and glazing. Rooftop equipment, skylights and glazed roofs are left clear, keeping daylight, ventilation and maintenance access intact.
• Access routes kept open. Gaps between panel blocks leave safe routes for building maintenance teams and for cleaning and inspecting the solar plant.

In a dense area like Westlands, shading from neighbouring buildings and the load-bearing capacity of existing roofs are key design checks for any rooftop system. Working above an operating mall also means planning installation around shoppers, tenants, events and deliveries.

Project photos

How Spenomatic delivers commercial rooftop solar

Spenomatic’s commercial and industrial solar projects follow a full engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) path:

1. Load and site assessment. Reviewing electricity consumption, operating hours, roof condition and structure, shading and the existing electrical installation.
2. Engineering and design. Array layout, structural and electrical design, inverter selection and protection.
3. Procurement. Selecting modules, inverters, mounting systems and balance-of-system components.
4. Installation. Mounting, DC and AC electrical works and grid integration, with safety and quality management throughout.
5. Testing and commissioning. Electrical and protection testing, inverter commissioning and monitoring setup before handover.
6. Operations and maintenance. Remote performance monitoring, inspections, cleaning strategies and fault response to protect long-term output.

Best Solar Project of the Year

The Sarit Centre installation was named Best Solar Project of the Year at the Solar Week Kenya Awards, organised by SolarQuarter, on 10 April 2025. The award recognised an innovative, high-impact project at one of Nairobi’s busiest malls, and shows how solar can be integrated into large-scale commercial infrastructure. Read more about Spenomatic Solar’s award wins in Kenya.

The Spenomatic Solar Interactive Center at Sarit

The project’s link with Sarit Centre continues inside the building. In early 2026, Spenomatic opened its Solar Interactive Center on the lower ground floor of Sarit Centre, a public space where students, professionals and families can interact with real solar equipment and models, and simulate solar performance and sizing for their own homes or businesses.

Visitors can see a working example of large-scale commercial solar on the roof above, then explore how a system would work for their own premises downstairs. For anyone who cannot visit in person, a virtual 360° tour of the Solar Interactive Center is available online. Learn more about what visitors can explore at the Solar Interactive Center.

Commercial solar in Kenya

On-site solar has become mainstream in Kenyan business. According to Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) statistics for the year to June 2025, Kenya had 514.1 MW of installed solar capacity, of which 300.5 MW was captive solar, built by businesses and institutions to supply their own facilities.

Questions about solar for shopping centres

Can a mall keep trading while solar is installed?

Yes. Rooftop work is planned in phases, with safe access routes, controlled working zones and electrical tie-ins scheduled to avoid disrupting tenants, shoppers and events.

What happens when the sun goes down?

A grid-tied rooftop system supplies the building during daylight hours, and the grid or backup generators take over in the evening. Battery storage can be added where evening loads or power cuts justify it.

Do panels block skylights or rooftop equipment?

No. A good layout leaves glazed roof sections, HVAC plant and maintenance routes clear, as the Sarit Centre arrays show.

Can I see a commercial solar system before investing?

Yes. The Spenomatic Solar Interactive Center at Sarit Centre lets you explore solar equipment and simulate system sizing before speaking to an engineer about your own site.

See more of our work in our solar project portfolio, or learn about our commercial and industrial solar EPC services.