Category: UK

• Construction of a 28.5 Megawatt Peak (MWp) solar farm for Luminous Energy
• BELECTRIC underlines its recent return to the United Kingdom as EPC service provider

Kolitzheim (Germany) – BELECTRIC, Member of Elevion Group, strengthens its recent return to the United Kingdom (UK) as an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) service provider. The solar energy specialist partners with Luminous Energy to install a large-scale solar power plant near Norwich in England.

After announcing the signing of EPC contracts for two solar farms with more than 100 MWp of solar capacity in the United Kingdom last December, BELECTRIC expands its British EPC pipeline by another 28.5 MWp and hereby underlines its presence in the market. The solar energy specialist has been awarded the contract to construct Bracon Ash solar farm near Norwich in Norfolk (England) for Luminous Energy, an established UK-based renewable energy and battery storage developer. The solar power plant is expected to be commissioned in the summer of 2024 and generate enough electricity to power more than 9,500 households annually. To reach the highest yields possible in a country with less solar radiation than many other European markets, BELECTRIC relies on cutting edge technology with bifacial n-type modules. Bifacial cells are able to absorb solar radiation from the front and the back of the module. N-type cells are built upside down compared to typically used solar cells, with the negatively doped side serving as the basis. This leads to higher efficiency and increases the solar farm’s profitability.

David Bryson, COO of Luminous Energy, said: “We are delighted to continue our contribution to the fight against global climate change with the construction of Bracon Ash Solar Farm, which aligns with South Norfolk Council’s emissions reduction goals as well as the national target to achieve net zero by 2050. It also demonstrates our dedication to working closely with local communities. The final design, which incorporates community feedback is expected to deliver a 203% net biodiversity gain.”

BELECTRIC first joined forces with Luminous Energy in 2013 when the two companies signed a joint development agreement and subsequently went on to develop a number of successful projects together. Both firms are delighted to be partnering together again ten years later. BELECTRIC will also oversee operations and maintenance of Bracon Ash solar farm once fully constructed.

“We are excited to once again collaborate with Luminous Energy on the Bracon Ash Solar Farm project. This partnership is a testament to our expertise in the international solar sector and history of working successfully together,” comments Barry Bennett, Managing Director of BELECTRIC subsidiary BELECTRIC Solar Ltd. UK.

• BELECTRIC and NextEnergy Solar Fund sign Operations and Maintenance (O&M) framework agreement
• O&M agreement for solar farms with a total capacity of at least 150 Megawatts Peak (MWp)
• O&M process overseen by WiseEnergy, NextEnergy Solar Fund’s (NESF) operating asset manager
• BELECTRIC extends its strong O&M footprint in the United Kingdom

Kolitzheim (Germany) / Brinkworth (United Kingdom) – BELECTRIC Solar Ltd UK and NextEnergy Solar Fund, a specialist solar and energy storage climate impact fund, sign a framework agreement for more than 150 MWp in O&M following a competitive tender process run by WiseEnergy®. Since September 2022, BELECTRIC has been providing O&M services for the first three photovoltaic systems.

After signing a framework agreement for the next three years, BELECTRIC will add an expected portfolio of at least ten solar farms with a total capacity of more than 150 MWp to its O&M footprint in the United Kingdom. The solar power plants range from 5 MWp to 34 MWp in capacity and are located in various counties across England, including Dorset, East Sussex and Lincolnshire. BELECTRIC has been providing O&M services for the first three systems since late 2022.

Dan Kingscote, Commercial and Strategic Projects Manager at WiseEnergy, says: “We are delighted to start our strategic relationship with BELECTRIC following what was an extremely competitive tender process. Through the tender process we have looked to extract more value from our contractors by applying an innovative approach to O&M; throughout the process we have been impressed with BELECTRIC’s diligence, industry knowledge and alignment with the values which we have applied to try and approach traditional O&M challenges in a novel way. We look forward to working with them.”

WiseEnergy is NextEnergy Group’s operating asset manager and a leading specialist operating asset manager in the solar sector. Since its founding, WiseEnergy has provided solar asset management, monitoring and technical due diligence services to over 1,350 utility-scale solar power plants with an installed capacity in excess of 1.8 GWp. WiseEnergy clients comprise leading banks and equity financiers in the energy and infrastructure sector.

“We are proud that WiseEnergy has chosen us to take care of such an extensive portfolio of solar projects. BELECTRIC brings more than 20 years of experience in various climate zones to the table. With an O&M footprint of a few hundred MWp in the United Kingdom alone and 1.7 GWp on a global scale, we are one of the leading operations and maintenance service providers in the solar industry. WiseEnergy will benefit from our in-depth expertise”, adds Barry Bennett, Managing Director at BELECTRIC Solar Ltd UK.

BELECTRIC is one of Europe’s leading EPC service providers in the development, construction and operation of solar power plants. The solar energy specialist looks back on more than 20 years of experience in power plant construction and has built over 4 gigawatts of capacity worldwide. BELECTRIC is a member of Elevion Group. Elevion Group BV is one of Europe’s leading energy service providers in the field of modern energy solutions that focus on sustainability and climate neutrality. Elevion Group belongs among Germany’s market leaders in this segment. The group currently is comprised of approximately 60 consolidated companies and employs more than 4,700 people in twelve countries – in addition to Germany, these include the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and China.

• BELECTRIC returns to the United Kingdom as EPC service provider
• Construction of two solar farms with over 100 Megawatts Peak (MWp) capacity for Vantage RE Limited
• Single-axis trackers and battery storage systems to secure maximum yields

Kolitzheim (Germany) – By constructing two large-scale solar farms for Vantage RE Limited in England, BELECTRIC returns to the United Kingdom as an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) service provider. The photovoltaic systems will have a combined capacity of more than 100 Megawatts Peak (MWp).

BELECTRIC will build two solar farms with a combined installed capacity of more than 100 MWp in England. The photovoltaic plants will be located near Hook in the region of Hampshire (66.5 MWp) and Eastfields in Warwickshire (34.8 MWp). Consisting of almost 170,000 solar modules, they can supply the equivalent of 37,000 homes with green energy. Eastfields will be executed using bifacial solar modules mounted on single-axis trackers – a promising technology for the future of solar energy in countries like the UK. In addition, both solar farms will be equipped with a battery storage system. “We are proud to have won Vantage RE as a partner. Being chosen to construct these two exciting projects underlines our expertise in the construction of tracker projects in Nordic countries as well as the integration of storage solutions into the overall solar system”, adds David Johann, Head of Sales Europe at BELECTRIC. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2023.

BELECTRIC’s customer Vantage RE Ltd. owns, develops and operates a portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United Kingdom and Europe. Ian Chisholm, Head of Solar Asset Management at Vantage RE Limited, comments: “This is an important milestone for Vantage RE and marks the broadening of our activities into project development. We’re pleased to be working with BELECTRIC, who bring their extensive expertise as we deliver our two new solar farms.”

The two solar farms mark BELECTRIC’s return to the United Kingdom as an EPC service provider. After the company’s withdrawal from the business in the UK in 2015, the British BELECTRIC team continued to take care of Operations and Maintenance of own-built as well as third-party solar systems. Now that the photovoltaics and energy storage market in the United Kingdom is experiencing a bright period of growth, BELECTRIC benefits from its existing structures in the country. “The UK market has been our home for over ten years. We are pleased to live in a time when there is such a growth expected for the next few years”, explains Barry Bennett, Managing Director of BELECTRIC subsidiary BELECTRIC Solar Ltd. UK.

BELECTRIC is one of Europe’s leading EPC service providers in the development, construction and operation of solar power plants. The solar energy specialist looks back on more than 20 years of experience in power plant construction and has built over 4 gigawatts of capacity worldwide. BELECTRIC is a member of Elevion Group. Elevion Group BV is one of Europe’s leading energy service providers in the field of modern energy solutions that focus on sustainability and climate neutrality. Elevion Group belongs among Germany’s market leaders in this segment. The group currently is comprised of approximately 60 consolidated companies and employs more than 4,700 people in twelve countries – in addition to Germany, these include the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and China.