Solar Power Purchase Agreements — zero capital, predictable rates

A solar PPA is a long-term contract under which a third-party investor funds, owns and operates a solar PV system on your roof or sleeved to your site. You pay nothing upfront; you buy the kilowatt-hours generated at a pre-agreed tariff that is typically 30-50% below grid import. UK PPAs run for 15-25 years and end with three options: extend, buy at fair market value, or have the system removed. See how a PPA works for the full mechanics.

For a UK commercial site importing at 28-32 p/kWh, a typical on-site PPA delivers a year-1 tariff of 11-15 p/kWh — savings of 13-21 p/kWh on every self-consumed unit. For a 250kWp system generating around 237,500 kWh/yr, that's roughly £35,000-£50,000 of year-1 saving. Run your specific numbers in the PPA calculator.

The UK PPA market in 2026 is split between specialist solar funds (Atrato, Foresight, Bluefield, NextEnergy), corporate-PPA aggregators (Ampyr, Statkraft, Centrica Business Solutions), and bilateral counterparties between independent power producers and large corporates. We aren't tied to any provider — we match your site profile to vetted candidates and return an indicative tariff shortlist within one working day.

Providers generally won't quote below 50kWp because the build-cost-per-Wp economics don't work. The sweet spot is 100-1,000 kWp (mid-commercial). Below 50kWp, asset finance or cash purchase typically beats PPA. Above 5MWp you're into corporate-PPA structures with materially different mechanics.

Yes — if you have at least 15 years of remaining lease. Most PPA providers require lease term ≥ PPA term. If you have less than 15 years tenure, a sleeved PPA (generation elsewhere, sleeved to your meter via a supplier) is the workaround.

Three options: (a) extend at a re-negotiated lower tariff (year-25 panels still produce 88% of original capacity), (b) buy the system at fair market value (typically 10-25% of original capex), or (c) have the provider remove the system at no cost. See our end-of-contract deep-dive.

From first call to commissioning typically 6-12 months: 2-4 weeks for indicative tariff, 4-8 weeks for site survey and heads-of-terms, 8-12 weeks for full contract negotiation, 6-16 weeks for build. Larger systems take longer because DNO connection studies (G99/G100 applications) add 3-6 months.

Yes — especially for systems above 250kWp and investment-grade off-takers. Tariff, escalator type, term length, performance ratio guarantee, end-of-contract options and assignment-on-sale clauses are all on the table during heads of terms. We help off-takers know what to push on.

A PPA charges you per kWh generated; a lease charges a fixed monthly amount regardless of generation. Under IFRS 16 a lease typically goes on-balance-sheet; a PPA can stay off-balance-sheet if structured carefully. PPA shifts performance risk to the provider; lease keeps it with you. See our PPA vs lease comparison.

Yes — though public sector procurement rules apply. For schools and councils, PPAs typically run 25 years and require either a Crown guarantor structure or full procurement under PCR 2015 / PA 2023. The PSDS grant route is often cheaper if you can secure funding, but PPAs are faster to deploy. See schools PPAs.