Sustainable Biz #5 - Magazine - Page 16
Smart Architectural Aluminium and
Centrica agree major solar power
purchase agreement
S
mart Architectural Aluminium,
the UK’s leading architectural
aluminium manufacturer, is set for
a more sustainable future after Centrica
Business Solutions agreed a long-term
lease for a solar array on the roof of its UK
headquarters.
Centrica Business Solutions has started
construction on the 7,000 solar panel array,
across the roofs of three buildings at the
manufacturing site in Yatton, near Bristol.
The 2.94MW installation is the result of a
long -term lease agreement between Smart
and Centrica Business Solutions, which will
see Centrica lease the roof space, finance
the project and agree a Power Purchase
Agreement (PPA) with Smart for the green
electricity produced on site. This gives
Smart price certainty and access to green
electricity without any capital outlay,
simultaneously it will reduce operational
CO2 emissions by 588 tonnes every year.
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S USTAI N AB L E B I Z MAGAZINE
MAY 2024
The deal provides Smart with 2.7GWh
of green, reliable energy every year for
the next 25 years, meaning 20% of the
site’s current energy requirements will be
fulfilled by the array. The mounting for
each of the 7,084 solar panels (each 415W)
will be fabricated on site. Construction
has begun on site with the project set
to be completed in spring 2024 as the
business aims for carbon neutrality
across its operations. Justin Jacober,
managing director at Centrica Business
Solutions, said: “The project with Smart
Architectural Aluminium represents one
of our largest roof top solar arrays to date
and we’re delighted to help them to meet
their decarbonisation ambition. "
We want to continue supporting
organisations with their sustainability
challenges, this in turn creates more
resilient businesses that can stand the
test of time as well as reducing the UK’s
reliance on fossil fuels - accelerating our
journey towards net zero.
