Put your roof to work. Keep your capital.
We fund, install, own and maintain solar on your roof. You buy its electricity at an agreed rate per kWh. A minimum annual amount is payable whatever the system generates.
No upfront cost. Subject to survey and credit checks.
Why a PPA
What your business gains
Capital kept in the business
There’s no upfront cost. We pay for the system through our asset finance SPV, so your capital stays free for the business.
Nothing to run
We install, monitor and maintain the system for the whole term. There’s nothing for you to run or repair.
A known price per kWh
Your proposal sets an agreed rate per kWh for your site. A minimum annual amount is payable whatever the system generates. The proposal shows it beside the rate.
Export income credited to you first
Electricity the building doesn’t use is exported to the grid. Any export income is credited to you first, against any shortfall on the minimum.
PPA or SSOA
Is a PPA right for your site?
PPAs are for larger roofs, typically 100 kWp or more (around 600–700 m² of usable roof), or a group of smaller sites taken together. Smaller roof, or a younger business? Our Solar Save & Ownership Agreement may still work.
| PPA | SSOA | |
|---|---|---|
| System size | 100 kWp or more per site (some funders now ask for 150 kWp) | Under 100–150 kWp, or any size a PPA funder declines |
| Smaller sites | Can qualify together as a portfolio of several sites | Single small sites |
| Credit | Strong trading history and credit score needed | More flexible. The system stays as security until the final payment. |
| Ownership | We own the system for the term | Yours after the final payment |
Who pays for what
How the funding works
We fund the system through our asset finance SPV, the funding company that pays for and owns it for the term. Your business pays an agreed rate per kWh for its electricity, with a minimum annual amount.
- Smart Energy Markets → the system on your roofFunds, installs, owns and maintains
- The system on your roof → your businessElectricity, used on site first
- Your business → Smart Energy MarketsPays a rate per kWh, with a minimum each year
- Your supplier → your businessThe rest, as now
We pay for
- The design and the equipment
- The installation
- Monitoring and maintenance, for the term
Your business pays for
- The system’s electricity, at an agreed rate per kWh
- A minimum annual amount, whatever the system generates
- Any other electricity, through your supplier as now
Subject to survey and credit checks. The rate per kWh, the minimum annual amount, the term and any indexation are set out in your proposal.
The numbers
Typical sizes and terms
A 100 kWp system needs around 600–700 m² of usable roof and generates roughly 95,000 kWh a year, over a typical 25-year term.
- System size
- 100 kWp
- or more per site. Some funders now ask for 150 kWp.
- Roof area
- 600–700 m²
- of usable roof, roughly, for a 100 kWp system.
- Generation
- 95,000 kWh
- a year, roughly, from a 100 kWp system.
- Term
- 25 years
- typically. At the end you can extend, buy the system or have it removed.
Several smaller sites can qualify together as a portfolio. We don’t publish a standard rate. Your proposal sets the rate per kWh and the minimum annual amount for your site.
Site types
Is your building suitable?
Pick the building closest to yours. This is guidance, not eligibility. The survey and credit checks confirm what fits.
What usually decides it
- Steady daytime demand. The system’s power is used as it’s made.
- A suitable roof. Sound, mostly unshaded and good for the term.
- Secure tenure. You own the building, or your lease outlasts the term.
- Credit. Every business is credit-assessed. An SSOA’s criteria are more flexible than a PPA’s.
Warehouse
Big, simple roofs and daytime handling loads make warehouses the classic fit for solar. Many are large enough for a PPA.
- Roof area, age and condition
- Daytime demand from chilled storage, handling and charging
- Lease length and landlord consent
Factory
Process loads through the day use the power as it’s made. North-light roofs need a careful layout.
- Roof orientation and structure
- Shift pattern and daytime load
- Space for plant and cabling
Retail
Trading hours track daylight and roofs are often clear of plant. Tenancy and consent decide a lot.
- Landlord consent and service charge terms
- Roof access and safe working
- Refrigeration and lighting load
Office
Smaller roofs and lighter daytime loads. A roof too small for a PPA may suit an SSOA, and buying renewable electricity often fits first.
- Rooftop plant and usable area
- Half-hourly metering for buying
- Tenancy structure
Farm
Long steel pitches often face south. Whether solar stacks up depends on what the farm runs during the day.
- A south-facing pitch
- Daytime demand from cold stores, drying, dairy or irrigation
- Grid connection capacity
School or public building
Term-time daytime use with a quiet summer, so how export works matters more than usual.
- Holiday pattern and export
- Roof condition and access
- Procurement route
The steps
From site check to switch-on
You
Step 1 of 5: Site check
A few questions about the building, its roof and how it uses electricity.
Us
Step 2 of 5: Survey and credit check
We survey the roof and the site’s daytime demand, and run a credit check on the business.
Us
Step 3 of 5: Proposal
The system, the rate per kWh, the minimum annual amount, the term and what’s included, in writing.
You decide
Step 4 of 5: Agreement
You read the full terms, with us if you wish, and decide.
Us
Step 5 of 5: Installation
We install the system around your operations and maintain it for the term. From switch-on you pay the agreed rate per kWh, with the minimum annual amount payable whatever it generates.
The Power Purchase Agreement
Questions about the agreement
More in the FAQs, including which sites are eligible, the survey and the installation.
Our promises
Everything in writing first. Prices, the term and the company you contract with are in writing before you sign anything.
No obligation. An enquiry commits you to nothing.
A straight answer. If your site doesn’t suit, we tell you, and point you to what might.
No sales calls. We only phone you if you ask us to.
Start here
Which route fits your roof?
Answer a few questions about the building and the business, and Chris or a colleague in the team will reply with whether a Solar PPA or an SSOA is the likely route, and whether the site is worth a survey.
Chris Williams
Commercial Energy Adviser, Cwmbran.
Smart Energy Markets Ltd, Cwmbran.
What kind of site is it?
Or pick an answer above and the enquiry opens with it already chosen. You can change any answer before you send it.