Energy-to-food-to-burials supplier the Co-op Group has signed a PPA – power purchase agreement – to source electricity for its stores, funeral homes and depots by means of a complete offtake from ScottishPower Renewables’ 9MW Coldham solar farm in Cambridgeshire.
Running for 15 years, today’s deal will see the Co-op taking all the output from the dedicated 9MW site, pictured, near Wisbech.
Peak output from Coldham’s 19,000 panels will be enough, the Co-op calculates, to power 55 of its food stores, a demand equalling that from 2,000 homes.
Chief executive Shirine Khoury-Haq said; “The launch of Coldham solar farm, as a result of our PPA with ScottishPower Renewables, shows Co-op’s commitment to achieving Net Zero in our own operations by 2035.
“Co-op maintains that the government should make decarbonising the grid a top priority”, Khoury-Haq went on. “
“However, businesses still have their part to play, and this solar farm is a further step in Co-op’s approach to renewable energy procurement through a mixture of PPAs and embedded generation.”
ScottishPower Renewables boss Charlie Jordan responded: “We’re delighted to partner with companies that understand the importance of decarbonising their operations.
“By securing long-term commitments, PPAs provide stability, certainty, and ultimately accelerate our journey towards a greener, more resilient energy landscape.”
Enriched with 7,500 native trees planted by SPR, the Coldham solar farm sits next to SPR’s existing windfarm, and benefits from the same grid connection.
The Co-op recently signed of a 15-year CPPA to offtake from a 34MW solar farm in north Yorkshire, Its arrays are due to come fully onstream next year.
