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The Shard already buys electricity through a 100% renewable tariff and is pushing data-led operational optimisation with its occupiers. Sydsol adds a different kind of renewable claim: electricity physically generated by the glass envelope of London’s most recognisable vertical city.
The Shard’s identity depends on lightness, transparency and its faceted glass envelope. Sydsol fits because the proposition is not to hide that architecture — it is to give the same glass a new function while preserving the qualities that make the building recognisable.
Qualified roof and façade surfaces are screened against the same energy and commercial assumptions used throughout this case study.
Grid-equivalent CO₂ is modelled using the local grid factor. Actual market-based emissions impact depends on the building’s electricity procurement and renewable-energy contracts.
See how electricity generation and equivalent energy cost change through the year as solar resource, orientation and shading shift.
Southwest is the largest modelled contributor, but northwest, southeast and east are also material. East-facing generation rises earlier; west and northwest carry more output into the afternoon.
The Shard’s geometry distributes generation across several facets rather than one flat face. That is the key advantage of the envelope in a moderate-irradiation market.
The Shard’s identity depends on lightness, transparency and its faceted glass envelope. Sydsol fits because the proposition is not to hide that architecture — it is to give the same glass a new function while preserving the qualities that make the building recognisable.
The Shard says it is powered entirely by a 100% renewable electricity tariff and in 2026 highlighted GridEdge data analytics and occupier collaboration as part of its evolving sustainability strategy.
On-site generation is a physical form of additionality. On an icon built around transparent façades, it can also become a compelling architectural and occupier story.
The Shard’s design uses extra-white glass and a double-skin naturally ventilated façade to create lightness and respond to changing sky conditions.
Offices, a hotel, restaurants, healthcare, education and the viewing gallery create a broad public and commercial audience for a visible technology.
Southwest is the largest modelled contributor, with northwest, southeast and east also material. The geometry broadens output around the day even in London’s moderate solar climate.
A five-star hotel inside the tower gives any visible sustainability technology a guest-facing dimension.
The Shard’s office community includes a globally recognised broadcaster.
A major global brand is part of the office occupier community.
External references describe public building, owner and occupier context. Inclusion does not imply endorsement of Sydsol or participation in this study.
Solar Studio reveals the energy potential hidden across an entire building envelope — not just the roof. It combines advanced 3D solar simulation with the commercial metrics asset owners need to make a decision.
We recreate the building and its urban surroundings so the analysis reflects the real geometry of the façade, roof and neighbouring skyline.
Advanced ray-tracing follows sunlight through every hour of the day and every season of the year, revealing how solar access changes across the envelope.
Nearby towers, setbacks and the building itself are captured in a detailed shading profile, separating consistently productive surfaces from those that spend too much time in shadow.
We translate the solar opportunity into generation, energy savings, carbon reduction and payback — turning a complex façade into a clear investment picture.
See where the building can generate, when that energy arrives, and which surfaces create the strongest commercial value.
These inputs define the The Shard case study and can be changed for a building-specific assessment.
Indicative feasibility assessment. Results support early-stage decision making and should be followed by site, structural, electrical and façade-engineering review before project development.
We can turn this model into a site-specific pilot scope — target surfaces, expected generation, integration pathway and indicative economics.