YLEM Energy has rebranded its Solar PPA and Optimise solutions under a single, powerful brand: Power-Zero. Bringing everything together to accelerate your journey to net zero.
Power-Zero’s (as part of the YLEM Energy Group) Commercial Solar PPA solutions offer UK businesses sustainable, cost-effective energy without upfront investment. Our fully-funded solar power purchase agreements guarantee savings and help you achieve wider net-zero targets as well as improve your corporate social responsibility objectives.
Installing a Power-Zero solar PPA solution allows your business to self-generate low-cost, highly efficient, secure, sustainable energy. Power-Zero offer a consultative, end-to-end approach; completely bespoke to your business needs. We design, build, install and maintain your business solar power with zero upfront costs.
A solar power purchase agreement (PPA) is a financial agreement that allows businesses to use commercial solar energy without paying any upfront costs.
Under a solar PPA, a third-party commercial solar provider designs, funds, installs, owns and maintains the solar panel system on your premises. Your business simply agrees to purchase the solar power generated at a fixed, predictable rate, typically lower than National Grid electricity prices.
Because there’s no capital investment required, solar PPAs help businesses reduce energy costs immediately, improve long-term price certainty and cut carbon emissions, all while progressing towards net zero and sustainability targets.
With no upfront CAPEX or OPEX costs, our power purchase agreements guarantee immediate savings as well as long-term price stability and profitability. We’ll finance a purpose-built solar PPA solution for your energy needs, allowing clean electricity to be secured at a lower rate than the National Grid.
By pairing onsite solar generation with Power-Zero’s intelligent energy management portal, you can control and monitor energy consumption, allowing businesses to maximise their efficiency.
Real-time energy monitoring can reduce operational costs through easy-to-use, live data and reports, creating a centralised dashboard for your solar power purchase agreement.
Optimise is also the platform for our i n-house Building Energy Management and Sub-Metering systems. Our portal can accommodate these other solutions should they be recommended after the initial survey of your business.
With fluctuating energy costs and increasing sustainability compliance, future-proofing your business has never been more important. A Power-Zero solar PPA helps you to stay ahead of changing regulations as well as achieving energy security and independence, meaning you’re less reliant on the grid.
Solar power purchase agreements are a double-edged sword for cutting costs and carbon. Discover how much your business can save by using our commercial solar calculator.
Power-Zero was established to revolutionise and accelerate the UK’s commercial green energy transition by investing in a cleaner power network to provide: accessible, cheaper, low carbon, secure energy for its partners and customers.
Our consultative, customer-centric approach combines over 30 years of industry expertise with innovative renewable power solutions and smart energy management technology to propel UK industries towards a low carbon future with solar power purchase agreements.
Although the UK is famed for its grey skies, solar cells don’t need direct sunlight to work and can even generate power on the cloudiest of days. Our robust models use average yield rates based on the location of the solar panel to maximise your return on investment from solar PPA.
Yes. With commercial Solar PPA, you will normally use all of the energy produced, however, there may be occasions where this isn’t the case. For example, weekends and bank holidays, where we can potentially export it to the grid and receive a fee. We factor this into any proposals we generate. This price will fluctuate throughout the term and we size projects as close to possible on your onsite demand. With Gas Generation you agree to buy a certain amount of electricity from us annually, called minimum take. If in the unlikely event that the engine temporarily fails, and we can’t deliver enough power to reach that amount, then it’s Power-Zero’s responsibility to buy that energy from the grid and sell it to you at the pre-agreed amount.
A commercial solar PPA project is 20-25 years in length. These are optimum contract lengths, allowing your asset to provide cheaper energy than grid-derived power. The period of time and the amount of energy you buy allow you to pay off the asset and have continued operation and maintenance support.
Power-Zero owns the asset for the duration of the commercial solar PPA contract and either leases or licences the area where they are installed. Throughout that period, Power-Zero is fully responsible for the maintenance and operation of the asset to ensure they are producing energy. If they are not, then you don’t pay anything so it’s in the best interest of Power-Zero to look after them well.
It depends on whether you wish the project to be off or on the balance sheet. Typically, for an off-balance solution, the asset can either be taken off-site at the end of the term, replaced with a newer asset, or bought for a nominal amount. If it’s the latter, then you can either operate and maintain the asset yourself or contract us further to do O&M.
We will agree on a p/kWh price for the energy you buy from the asset and then we apply a small, pre-agreed, inflation-linked increase annually. This will be agreed during our discussions.
We fully take on this responsibility on your behalf and our expert teams can manage all of this.
Regardless of the commercial solar PPA project, you’ll have access to a digital customer portal, which will provide extensive information around your asset, covering everything from energy production to operational efficiency.
There are many variables, often depending on your internal decision-making processes. As well as this, there are certain steps that are outside our control such as planning and connection requests to the grid. (depending on the size and location of an asset). A typical timeframe from initial engagement to contract signature would be 6 months. After this, it could take a further 3-9 months for the solar PPA project to be installed, operational and for your business to see cost savings. (Again, depending on size and complexity of a project).
Depending on the complexity and size of the solar PPA project, there is usually little to no interruption. We will need to access parts of your site and we will conform to all your health and safety requirements. There may be a small interruption to the power supply whilst we connect the system, however, we work with you to arrange a time that involves minimal disruption.
Yes. We work with both you and your landlord to investigate the viability of the project and how we would structure it to ensure the landlord is comfortable with the arrangement. Typically, we would want to see a proactive landlord and a commitment to stay at the site for at least 5 years.
You will be invoiced monthly and will have access to our digital customer portal, which identifies how much energy has been produced and how much you have consumed.
Power-Zero will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the asset throughout the contract’s lifetime, which includes: servicing, overhauls and general maintenance. We will pre-agree with you on access arrangements and always work closely with your onsite team to conform to any health, safety and site standards you require.
We are ISO45001 compliant and we operate nationwide across more than 100 sites with a wide range of industries. We are used to working within the boundaries of a customer’s health and safety requirements. All of this will be discussed and agreed prior to contract signature.
We reserve the right to reclaim the asset in this situation. Throughout our conversations, we will look at your trading status and discuss whether any guarantor arrangements are required.
We estimate your savings in the proposals we present to you. These are based on how much you are paying for energy today and also a forecast of what you’d pay for energy in the future. As these are just forecasts, and we can’t predict future energy costs, then your savings will vary throughout the contract term. If the price of energy is higher than we forecasted then your savings will be higher, and the opposite is also true. However, the price you pay for energy is fixed alongside an inflation linked measure, so you have a confirmed price for the duration of the contract.
Absolutely, yes! Giving your business total peace of mind. Unlike other operation and maintenance providers, our support lines are available at all times.
