Lightsource has appointed Big Four consultancy Deloitte and real estate giant Cushman & Wakefield to help support the developer’s private wire solar push.
Lightsource, the most prolific developer of ground-mounted solar in the UK market, has centred its new deployment strategy around the burgeoning commercial PPA market following an internal restructure earlier this year.
The firm is seeking to develop ground-mounted assets for UK businesses and facilities with significant energy demands, selling the generated electricity to the business through a private wire under a multi-year agreement.
Lightsource claims that it can provide the electricity at costs 25% lower than grid-supplied electricity, with no non-commodity charges added to the bill due to the installation being connected behind the meter.
Cushman & Wakefield and Deloitte will provide real estate and commercial advisory support for the programme, which Lightsource chief executive Nick Boyle said was aimed at removing some of the uncertainty in the UK’s “evolving” energy market.
“This is the new world of electricity supply where our customers can now choose to procure sustainable, locally generated electricity with future pricing certainty. We are delighted to be working with Cushman & Wakefield and Deloitte, whose specialist knowledge in energy, infrastructure and sustainability lifecycle presents an obvious synergy,” he added.
Lightsource’s most notable private wire project to date has been the 4.83MW solar farm connected for Belfast International Airport, which is to supply the facility with electricity over a 25-year period.
Alan Somerville, head of energy, infrastructure & sustainability EMEA at Cushman & Wakefield, said that Lightsource’s programme could provide an “obvious and direct financial benefit” to corporate customers
“We expect to see many more businesses operating this way,” he said.