Helping you go Solar

We’re here to help you go solar. Our ten-year expertise is on hand to help you every step of the way: we’re the south-east’s largest solar developer and work with all sorts of people to achieve their carbon goals – from local authorities to businesses, from ports to schools.

We offer:

  • Free consultation to get you going solar and discuss the options available to you
  • Our benchmark Fully Funded offer. We pay for the solar panels on your roof – you get cheap electricity and save thousands on your electricity bill

Solar Case Study – A Brighton School in May 2019

  • Blue – School Total Electricity Usage (kWh)
  • Red – Electricity produced from the solar system (kWh)
  • Yellow – Solar electricity used by the school

On this day in May 2019 BEC solar provided 58% of this Brighton school’s electricity needs

Free Solar Consultancy

Refine Metals-BEC

We’re on hand to help guide you through the process. Having built more than sixty large building mounted solar systems (see a map here), we have all the required knowledge – from understanding how the money works through to ensuring everything’s put in place safe and securely.

“We worked closely with Brighton Energy to install solar PV on our four sites in Worthing and Brighton. BEC have been helpful, responsive to our requirements, and really straightforward to work with.” (April 2021)

Jon Rollings

Head of Facilities, Greater Brighton Metropolitan College

Our Fully-Funded Offer

Our partners lease their roofs to BEC to build our high-performance solar PV systems. We then supply them with the cheap electricity from the solar panels.

Nearly 40 organisations have 25-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) like this with BEC. and our solar provides between 50 & 100% of their power. Our partners include: 

  • Local Authorities such as Brighton and Hove City Council & Adur and Worthing District Council
  • Commercial & Industrial clients including ports, leisure centres, museums, engineering companies, logistics hubs, football clubs – even a wine estate!
  • Colleges, Universities and Schools including The University of Brighton, Greater Brighton Metropolitan College & thirteen local schools.

 

greater-brighton-metropolitan-college-pelham-street-campus-gets-free-solar

How it Works

Step 1 - Site Survey

A free remote analysis of your roof and half-hourly electricity usage. This creates a solar design detailing:

  • how much solar electricity you’ll use
  • yearly carbon impact
  • how much money you’ll save
Step 2 - Sign Partnership Agreements

Together we agree to lease the space just above your roof. We believe cleaning your energy supply is a long-term project and as such we look for 20-25 year agreements.

Step 3 - Crowdfunding the Money

We crowdfund the money to pay for the solar panels. In the last 10 years we’ve raised £3,500,000 for new solar PV projects – from our dedicated support base of more than 600 micro-investors. You might be interested in viewing our annual accounts to see how we’ve turned the business of solar into a flourishing community enterprise.

Step 4 - Installation
Buildings are complex beasts so throughout the installation process we liaise closely with your facilities team. We see solar installation as a collaborative effort: in our experience there is minimal disruption to your normal operations and installation usually takes 1-2 weeks.

Installation of a 400-panel BEC system with our installation partner – GenFit.

Step 5 - Operations & Maintenance

Our maintenance crews carry out annual electrical checks and cleaning – and we keep a close eye on our online montoring to assess electricity generated and used

Case Study – Refine Metals, Surrey

By hosting BEC solar on their 1500 square meter roof, Refine Metals in Surrey save more than £7000 each year on electricity costs.

Installed in the summer of 2016 BEC funded the system; Refine now buys electricity from BEC at a discounted rate and saves more than 40 tonnes of carbon each year.

BEC’s Refine Metals project was developed by the Brighton Energy Coop team and installed by GenerationFIT.

Annual Savings on Refine's Electricity Bill (£)

CO2 Emissions Saved (tons per year)

Get in Contact

Becoming a BEC partner means an immediate reduction in your carbon footprint, as well as regular reporting and feedback on savings – financial and environmental – made.

If you’re interested in what it means to become a BEC partner – or have a roof you’re interested in taking solar on, then drop us a line and we’ll be right back to you.

Case Study – Portslade Academy, West Sussex

Portslade Aldridge Community Academy collaborates with Brighton Energy Coop to house 400 community-owned solar panels.

The solar provides the school with cheap electricity and saves thousands on their electricity bills each year. These systems generate a substantial proportion of the energy used to operate the school; the PV system was developed by our in-house team and was built by GenerationFIT.

Annual Savings on PACA's Electricity Bill (£)

CO2 Emission Saved (tons per year)