How Rooftop Solar Could Help You Save Money

Attention all CEOs!

If your business premises has an unused rooftop, then you are missing out on an opportunity to save money and electricity for your company. At Lightsource Renewable Energy, we provide rooftop solarr photovoltaic (or PV) solutions for some of the largest brands in the UK.

Our experience

As the UK’s leading solar energy company, we develop and operate the largest commercial solar PV portfolio and manage more solar projects than any other company on long term contracts. We have installed one third of all commercial rooftop solar projects and as the largest purchaser of solar components, are able to source the latest technology at unbeatable prices. Our internal R&D department are constantly working to further improve the efficiency of our systems and our technologies will work on all roof types.

All of our projects are operated and maintained in house and we have secured funding from our investors, Octopus Investments who are the UK’s leading solar investor. In fact, since 2010 when Lightsource was established, Octopus have invested £1.1 billion in solar projects and are committed to continual funding.

This financial support and infrastructure allows us to be able to green­light a project in as little as seven days. Additionally, we are certified under ISO18001 and are working towards our ISO14001 certification.

The process

When we plan a rooftop installationn, we first aim to deal with the usual considerations by analysing roof conditions, taking care of planning issues and grid connection, and assessing the visual impact on the environment.

A major advantage of working with Lightsource is that we guarantee you zero disruption to your business throughout the entire installation. Smaller solar powered systems can be installed very quickly ­ in fact, a 50kwp system can be installed in just three days. Furthermore, we ensure we always use non­toxic silicon solar panels, so as to minimise damage to the environment.

Power Purchase Agreement

If you would like your business to benefit from the advantages of solar energy without any capital investment, then Lightsource’s Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is ideal for you.

Under this agreement, we will install the complete solar power installation with no cost whatsoever to yourself or your business. You can then buy the energy it generates at a significantly reduced price and are guaranteed to save at least 20% on your energy bill. Any generated electricity that you do not require is then sold back to the National Grid.

Lightsource will deal with all planning permission and grid agreement issues and will insure, maintain and repair the rooftop installation completely free of charge. After the 20 year period has elapsed, we will remove the system and restore your roof back to its original condition. There is no need to change energy suppliers, as you can continue to pay them as normal for any electricity you require that the system doesn’t generate. The Department of Energy and Climate Change forecasts that electricity prices will increase over the next few decades, so we link our electricity prices to the Retail Price Index in order to ensure inflation ­linked prices.

Typically, clean electricity is generated in the day at a charge to you of 5.0p/kWh. By comparison, a half hourly metered customer would usually pay 10.7p/kWh. Lightsource then retain the government Feed­In Tariff and payments for any surplus electricity, which we export back to the grid.

We monitor the performance of the system and provide regular reports for your business. With 35 maintenance staff across the UK monitoring the systems on a 24/7 basis and an emergency on­site response time of four hours, you can rest assured that your business’ operation will not suffer.

If you feel that our PPA may not be the best solution for your needs, you can choose our self-funding option. With this scheme, you pay for the installation and maintenance yourself and then use or sell the generated electricity back to the grid. Below we take a look at real life examples of each option.

Case studies

Bentley Motors factory

Renowned automobile manufacturer, Bentley Motors decided to opt for the PPA scheme. 20,000 non­toxic silicon solar panels were installed on their existing sawtooth shaped roof, which incidentally happens to be perfect for capturing maximum sunlight. The 5MWp installation now powers 40% of all their operations and has given them a 2,500 ton carbon footprint reduction as well as independence from future energy price increases.

Sainsbury’s

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s chose to fund their own installation and so paid for the setup cost and ongoing maintenance. They now have a system comprised of 980 255w solar panels which generates 249.9kWp of clean electricity that they can either use or sell back to the grid for a profit. The initial quote was prepared in July 2013, the design in September and installation took place in October. The project went live in November 2013 and will continue to quietly generate clean electricity and help Sainsbury’s save.

How can your business benefit?

Installing a rooftop solar system will give you an advantage over your competitors, improve your brand image and guarantee you a return on your investment, through savings on your energy bill.

Whether you feel your business would benefit more from self­ funding or from our PPA scheme, you can be sure that either way you will be saving for a long time to come and your business’ future will be bright.

So, if you are interested in making your business’ rooftop work for you, saving you both money and energy, then please email us today or call us on 0333 200 0755.

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