Solarplicity bids to restructure community energy offering as new winding-up petition hits

Image: Solarplicity.

Solarplicity has struck a deal with energy supplier Toto as it looks to press ahead with its community energy solar deployment scheme. 

However questions remain over the future of companies associated with the firm, after administrators were appointed at Solarplicity Utility Services and Solarplicity Energy Limited was hit with a winding up petition yesterday afternoon.

The arrangement will see the majority of Solarplicity’s customer accounts transition over to Toto, with the energy retailer becoming Solarplicity’s preferred grid energy provider for its community energy scheme. 

Solarplicity has been dogged by customer complaints, triggering Ofgem investigations into its customer service procedures, while a provisional order from the regulator over unpaid feed-in tariff payments continues to hang over its head. 

But, Solarplicity said, the agreement with Toto would allow it to continue to “do what it has always done best” and provide renewables to local authority and housing association tenants. 

“With the completion of this partnership, we can now restructure our business to focus on our core operations. First and foremost, we are a renewable technology business striving to fight fuel poverty and make renewable energy available to everyone. We look forward to offering a more focused and dedicated level of service across our renewable business,” a spokesperson said. 

Those comments were however forthcoming before yesterday’s winding-up petition, published on The Gazette yesterday afternoon, submitted by HM Revenue & Customs.

A hearing has been scheduled before the High Court on 21 August 2019. 

Solarplicity has yet to respond to a request for comment on the winding up petition by Solar Power Portal at the time of writing.