As part of an agreement with Ortus Energy, SSE will acquire 13MW of rooftop solar PV projects and help develop up to 130MW of rooftop solar in the commercial market.
SSE’s customer division, SSE Energy Solutions, will manage the existing assets, which are already installed in multiple locations. SSE will then have the exclusive option to finance the 130 MW pipeline over the next three years, with development and installation financed upfront.
Ortus Energy will identify and develop the projects, and companies will then pay for the power generated at a fixed rate through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs).
Alistair Booth, CEO Ortus Energy, said: “Ortus Energy’s expertise in identifying and developing solar projects, combined with SSE Energy Solutions’ commitment to helping businesses become sustainable, creates a powerful alliance that will transform the commercial solar landscape in Britain can provide momentum and demonstrate its leading position in the commercial and industrial solar development space.”
Managing director of SSE Energy Customer Solutions, Nikki Flanders, added: “Achieving the UK’s decarbonisation targets requires a multi-faceted approach, and this includes equipping businesses with the services and products they need to decarbonise their buildings and activities.
“We want to be the partner of choice for all types of businesses looking to tackle their energy costs and emissions, whether they are looking for external infrastructure solutions such as solar installations or internal upgrades such as smart meters and smart building controls.”
SSE branches into solar energy
SSE Renewables’ first solar project, the 31MW Littleton Pastures solar farm in Worcestershire, started in August 2023 and the 77 hectare site is expected to be operational sometime this year.
SSE Energy’s renewable energy business has also been a major player in the UK battery energy storage scene this year. Battery installation is being completed for the 150MW/300MWh Ferrybridge battery project which, once operational, will be three times the size of SSE’s flagship battery storage site in Salisbury, which has been operational since April 15.
Net zero by 2030
The UK solar industry is having its moment in the sun under the new Labor government. Within days of his appointment, Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Ed Miliband granted Development Consent Orders (DCOs) to three solar farms classified as Nationally Important Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), totaling more than 1.3 GW of generation capacity.
At the beginning of this week, the government reactivated the Solar Taskforce, chaired by Miliband and Chris Hewett of Solar Energy UK.
Miliband has stated his ambition to “unleash a British solar roof revolution”, part of Labour’s ambitious climate targets. The speed at which the party has acted so far is encouraging, but a recent report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) indicates that solar deployment is behind schedule.
The report says that to reach net zero by 2030, solar installations will need to increase fivefold.
