Willmott Dixon Community Solar Energy is an opportunity for customers to benefit from the environmental and economic benefits of solar photovoltaic (PV) renewable energy generation, without having to invest directly themselves.

A Community Energy Group would own and operate the PV system, with renewable energy being supplied to the building owner at a market-competitive cost under a long-term power purchase agreement. All operating and maintenance responsibilities and costs for the PV system would remain the responsibility of the community energy group.

The Community Energy Group will work with each of our customers to support a range of agreed local community and social value initiatives, using a small portion of the funds generated by the supply agreement.

Benefits of Willmott Dixon Community Solar Energy on new build or refurbishment projects:

• Capital cost-free investment for the customer: funding is provided by our not-for-profit community energy and finance partners, at a market competitive cost.
• Cost certainty: provides a market-competitive, secure, and future-proof supply of zero carbon energy.
• Supports net zero carbon objectives: solar PV can generate a significant part of the project’s total power needs, with a funding approach that helps to maximise the contribution to net zero carbon in operation.
• Supports the local community: Funding model supports local community and social value investments from our not-for-profit community energy partner.
• Carbon reduction: solar PV contributes to any planning condition carbon reduction needs and compliance requirements in exactly the same way as a capital purchase approach.

Willmott Dixon aims to deliver buildings that eliminate carbon emissions and help our customers play their part in responding to the climate crisis by minimising global warming. We will work with our customers to make sure that their buildings are highly energy efficient, perform as designed when occupied, and maximise renewable energy generation, enabling them to be net zero carbon in operation.

The diagram below illustrates how our Community Solar Energy offering feeds into our ambition to deliver net zero operational carbon buildings for our customers: