More and more businesses are tapping into natural resources, like wind, solar and biomass, or waste that once went to landfill to generate electricity, and with very good reason. Just some of the benefits of becoming an electricity generator include:
- New revenues – by getting paid for the electricity you export to the grid and the associated renewable energy certificates
- Lower electricity costs – by reducing your exposure to both volatile wholesale energy prices and rising delivery charges
- Reduced carbon emissions and improved sustainability reporting with a lower carbon electricity supply than the standard grid mix
- Improved operational resilience – with less reliance on electricity imported from the grid.
Even if your renewable energy project is still a twinkle in your eye, you can start thinking about how you could produce and sell your energy for the best returns.
How big are your plans?
Until you have a commissioning date, your project’s size (or installed capacity as we call it) is the best pointer towards how to sell what you produce in future:
- If you are building on a commercial scale (more than 250KW), the Renewable Obligation (RO) scheme or Contracts for Difference (CFD) (starting in April 2015) scheme should offer the best rewards. You’ll need a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to sell through these schemes. This short film explains PPAs.
- Is it a small installation, under 250KW? Then Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) are probably a better option for you. Read how we can help you benefit as a FITs generator.
- Projects between 50KW and 5,000KW are eligible for either scheme, but not both. Watch two minutes of this webinar (from 1:15 to 3:45) to see how this works.