PPA
Solar with zero capex.
A Power Purchase Agreement lets you adopt commercial solar with no upfront cost. Glacier funds, installs and maintains the system, and you pay only for the energy you use, at a guaranteed rate well below grid pricing.
Why Glacier
Engineering, end-to-end.
Every project is run by a senior engineer, with transparent pricing and a 25-year build promise.
- Zero upfront cost, zero balance sheet impact
- Energy at a guaranteed below-grid rate
- Inflation-protected pricing for the contract term
- Full design, install, and maintenance included
- Aligns to Net Zero, ESOS and SECR reporting
- Option to buy out the system at agreed milestones
Deep dive
How a PPA actually works (and when it doesn't make sense).
A Power Purchase Agreement is one of the simplest financial structures in commercial energy: a third-party funder pays for the solar system on your roof, owns it for the contract term, and sells you the electricity it generates at a discounted rate. You sign one contract, write one cheque per month (often less than your current grid bill), and get all the operational and Net Zero benefits without any of the capex.
The economics work because grid electricity for businesses is currently 28–40p/kWh (and rising in real terms), while a well-designed commercial solar system generates power at a true cost of 6–10p/kWh. The gap, minus the funder's return, becomes your saving. Typical PPA pricing today is 12–18p/kWh, fixed or RPI-linked, depending on contract length.
PPAs are best suited to sites with strong daytime load profiles (manufacturing, logistics, data centres, education, retail, hospitality) and roofs of 100kWp+ (roughly 600m² of usable roof area). Below that, the funder's transaction costs eat the deal. We screen quickly from a recent bill and a roof image, no obligation.
Where it doesn't fit: short-term tenancies (under 5 years remaining), structurally weak roofs, or sites with very low daytime usage. In those cases we'll tell you honestly and propose an alternative, a capex purchase, a phased rollout, or a different site in your portfolio.
How it works
From first call to switch-on.
A senior engineer owns your project from survey to handover, no juniors, no surprises.
Screen
Send us a recent bill + roof image. We'll tell you in 48 hours whether PPA stacks up for your site.
Model
Half-hourly load analysis, structural survey, board-ready financial model with PPA + capex comparison.
Contract
Standard PPA terms drafted, lawyer-reviewed. Funder approval typically 4–6 weeks.
Build & operate
Glacier designs, installs and maintains. You start saving from day one of switch-on.
Capabilities
What's included.
10–25 yr contracts
Long-term agreements with index-linked or fixed pricing. Buy-out available from year 7.
Funded design
We model, design and fund the install end-to-end with leading UK and EU funders.
Operate & maintain
Full asset management, monitoring and warranty handling for the entire contract term.
Packages
Transparent pricing.
Indicative starting prices. Final quote confirmed after a free survey, no hidden extras.
- 100 kWp, 1 MWp single site
- 10–25 yr contract
- Full O&M included
- Buy-out option from year 7
- ESOS / SECR reporting
- Coordinated portfolio rollout
- Single PPA across all sites
- Tenant recharging supported
- Dedicated account manager
- Net Zero pathway alignment
- Best per-kWh rates
- Solar + commercial battery
- Demand-side response revenue
- Time-of-use arbitrage
- Grid services participation
- Highest savings tier
No surprises
What's in, and what isn't.
- Full system design, structural survey and yield modelling
- Hardware: panels, inverters, mounting, DC/AC plant
- DNO connection (G99) and grid commissioning
- All operations, maintenance and warranty management
- Performance reporting and ESOS/SECR data feeds
- End-of-term decommissioning options
- Roof remediation if structural survey identifies issues
- Grid reinforcement charges (rare; flagged at site screen)
- Tenant-side electrical works behind your meter
"We deployed 1.4 MW across four sites with zero capex. The PPA rate is 38% below grid and locked for 15 years. It freed up our investment budget for production line upgrades."
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Send us a bill, we'll send you a board-ready proposal.
If your roof has space and your daytime load is strong, a PPA almost always stacks up. We'll model it for free and present numbers your CFO can defend.
Start your energy upgrade
Ready to reduce energy costs?
Book a free, no-obligation survey or speak directly with our team. Most quotes returned within 24 hours.