Solar energy in the UK is back in the public eye. Renewables have made up a key part of the country’s green objectives for some time now and if Britain is to reach its net zero target by 2050, then solar PV development needs to increase rapidly.
There are positive signs that this has already begun. The UK government aims to send solar market growth soaring from 15GW in 2023 to 70GW by 2035. Meanwhile Solar Energy UK has called 2023 “a transformative year” for the sector, with increasing public support for new developments – researchers found that more than 42% of people living near an existing or planned solar farm strongly supported the project, with less than 1% strongly opposed.
The new momentum behind solar PV development makes it among the most attractive prospects for UK investors and landowners keen to turn their unused acres into income streams – and this is where Quintas Cleantech comes in.
Quintas Cleantech: who are we?
Quintas Cleantech is part of the Quintas Energy group. Our sister company is Europe’s leading solar asset manager, overseeing over 200 PV plants in the UK. After 16 years in the sector, it has amassed a profound knowledge of developing, building, and managing solar projects, which Quintas Cleantech constantly makes use of to meet its aims and objectives. Currently we are developing 500MW of solar PV and battery storage projects across the UK, to be completed over the next few years.
Increasing the UK’s solar capacity makes finding the right land a key issue. Quintas Cleantech is constantly seeking suitable sites for new projects, and that is why we are seeking landowners with spare capacity, who would like to see their unproductive land transformed into both an energy source and a new source of revenue. This can mean either approaching the owners of suitable sites or being approached by the landowners themselves. In either case, once a potential location has been identified, then the development process can begin.
Leasing your land for solar
A key part of making solar development possible in the UK is landowners leasing their land for solar projects. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement, where landowners in possession of unused acreage lease it to Quintas Cleantech to build a solar farm. Everybody benefits from this: the landowner gets a stable, long-term revenue stream, we get a new solar PV facility, and the UK gets a boost to its clean energy capacity.
The solar project timeline
So how does this translate into action, and how long will PV development take? There are several stages to a typical project, incorporating initial feasibility studies, closer site studies, securing the grid connection and negotiating the terms of the lease, carrying out environmental analysis, obtaining planning permission, construction, and finally connection to the energy grid itself. Each phase takes a few months to complete, which means that overall, from conception to creation, getting a new solar project up and running takes up to three years.
Although that sounds like a long time, it is very important to see the big picture and to place this in context. Once a solar PV plant goes online, it will be generating power – and providing an index-linked revenue – for the next 30-45 years. With components and infrastructure constantly increasing in efficiency and durability, revamping the site towards the end of this period can extend its working life even further.
If the landowner chooses not to explore the revamping offer after this time, then Quintas will take full charge of the decommissioning process and make sure that the land is completely restored to its original state.
A passion for renewable energy that’s built to last
It is because we believe that green energy is the foundation of Britain’s economic recovery that we are passionate about our role in the transition. Working together with landowners, local authorities, environmental consultants, and network operators, we want to ensure that our projects don’t just help Britain hit its green energy targets but also exist in harmony with their surroundings. We carefully study potential sites to ensure that existing flora and fauna is protected, and biodiversity enhanced, and take community feedback into account when designing our plants.
Our team benefits from long standing relationships with a host of advisers, specialising in everything from grid connection to local planning and community engagement. The key to a project’s success is working closely with all participants, which is why we foster lasting business partnerships. This long-term approach is reflected in everything we do. We take pride in developing high-quality sites that are built to last, because they will remain under the same management long after construction. As infrastructure and components age, we investigate the possibilities of revamping and renewal.
Our passion and expertise alongside committed partners and savvy landowners makes for a winning combination. Together we can make a positive difference to the UK’s economic fortunes, its net zero objectives, and its energy security.
If you are interested in exploring how leasing your land for solar can benefit you, or you’re simply interested in what we do and want to find out more, visit our page to contact us.
