Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in charge of The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), recently launched its Clean Power 2030 Action Plan which demands accelerated adoption of solar, battery storage and other renewables capacity to replace the UK’s reliance on the unabated gas supplies which are heavily exposed to volatile international wholesale gas prices. All UK businesses were exposed to this volatility following Russia’s invasion of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine in February 2022.
Solar capacity needs to go from 15.1 GW of generation today to 47.4GW by 2030 and grid connected battery storage from 5GW to between 23 and 27GW by 2030 – all within the next five years! The government has promised to cut time spent waiting for grid connections as well. Project Better Energy stands ready to help businesses play their part in the country’s clean power transition which needs to be complete by 2030.
Indeed, the Government has promised an estimated £40bn of mainly private investment in home grown clean power projects and infrastructure to help the nation become a clean power world leader.
There has never been a better time to draw up plans for investment in renewables – whether that be solar arrays on the roofs of your factories, warehouses and places of work or battery storage to hold excess power on-site when the sun isn’t shining, in periods of high demand or when you want to sell excess back to the Grid.
There are numerous Government schemes available to help fund your initial investment in renewables and more will open up to support the ambitions of the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan. Project Better Energy can help you identify whether your roof is suitable for solar panel installation and whether any remedial construction work is needed before adding further weight onto your roofs.
We can help negotiate ‘zero capital expenditure upfront’ deals with finance houses and utilities called Fully Funded Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) in which the third party gains access to the power you generate from your solar arrays for a period of up to 25 years, and in return assures you a lower unit rate for your power. At the end of these agreements, you own the solar panels on your roofs.
So, 2025 is THE year to work up your plans to move away from exposure unstable and expensive electricity supplies to your premises and contribute to the switch to renewables – potentially halving your energy bills in the process.
