Centrica bags 3MW solar array building contract from Smart Architectural Aluminium

Centrica Business Solutions has bagged a contract to install a 3MW solar array at Smart Architectural Aluminium’s facilities in Yatton, near Bristol. The news came on November 23 after both companies signed a deal.

Centrica Business Solutions builds, operates, and maintains onsite and large-scale energy assets like Solar PV and Combined Heat and Power to help manufacturing companies reduce carbon footprint and save money.

As soon as Centrica signed a long-term lease agreement with Smart Architectural Aluminium, it started the construction of 7,000 solar panel array across the roofs of three buildings at Smart Architectural Aluminium.

The agreement is a 25-year deal with Smart Architectural Aluminium, under which Centrica has agreed to lease the roof space, finance the project, and purchase green electricity produced by the 3MW solar array.

This project will help Smart Architectural Aluminium reduce operational carbon emissions by an estimated 588 tonnes every year. Once completed and becomes operational, the solar array will meet 20 per cent of the site’s power demand.

Centrica will fabricate each of the 7,084 solar panels and mount them on site using Smart’s manufacturing capacity. Justin Jacober, managing director at Centrica Business Solutions, hailed the project as "one of our largest roof top solar arrays to date".

"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," he added. "To be able to finance this deal in a zero-capital way, is an incredibly attractive package for many businesses, who are wrestling with the balance between planet and profit, our message is you don't need to make it a binary choice, you can do both."

Dean Thomas, managing director at Smart, said: "We're excited to be working alongside Centrica to facilitate a significant portion of our energy demand from the roofs over our heads. Our net zero ambitions are at the heart of our growth strategy, and once construction is complete it will be great to know that a huge proportion of our future energy use will be both carbon neutral and affordable."