The questions we get asked.
Including the one most intermediaries leave off their website.
How we are paid
How are you paid?
We are a third-party intermediary, and it depends on the deal. On a supply contract, our commission is set out in the contract you sign, so the amount is there in front of you before you commit to anything.
On a PPA, we are commonly paid by both sides of the transaction, and both sides are told that before they commit. We do not publish the amount on a PPA, and we would rather say that plainly than imply otherwise.
What this means in practice is that we have a reason to keep both parties in the deal. An intermediary paid by one side only has an interest in one side winning.
And we will tell you when what is on the table is worse than what you already have.
Does that not create a conflict?
It creates an interest, and pretending otherwise would be worse than naming it. Our interest is in a deal that completes and then survives its term, because a contract that unravels in year three costs us the relationship at both ends.
If you would rather engage us on a fee basis with no counterparty commission, say so at the outset and we will price it that way.
What does it cost to talk to you?
Nothing. The first conversation, and a first view on what your asset or your load is likely to attract, are free and carry no obligation to run a process with us afterwards.
Are you owned by a supplier or a generator?
No. There is no supplier that owns us and no panel we are obliged to place business with. That is the point of the model, and it is why we can run a process across the market rather than around one relationship.
If you generate
My PPA ends next year. When should I start?
Nine to twelve months out for most assets, longer if the volume is large or the counterparty will need credit support. Starting late is the single most common reason a generator ends up accepting an incumbent’s first offer.
Do I have to leave my current offtaker?
No, and often you should not. Running a competitive process frequently ends with the incumbent improving their terms and keeping the business. What changes is that you now know what the offer was worth.
What is my asset actually worth?
It depends on technology, shape, location, connection and how much risk you are willing to carry on volume and price. Send us the basics and we will give you a view of what the market is likely to do with it before you commit to anything.
Should I sell my REGOs with the power or separately?
Either can be right. Bundled is simpler and sometimes prices better; separated gives you a second market and the ability to time it. What matters is that it was a decision, not an assumption in someone else’s template.
If you buy
How big do we need to be?
From about 2 GWh a year upward, which is a lot further down than most people are told. What changes with size is the shape of the deal, not whether you can have one. At the smaller end it is usually a supplier PPA, where the supplier holds the contract with the generator and passes the power to you inside your supply. Simpler, quicker, no credit support needed from you, and for plenty of businesses it is the right answer. Further up, going direct to a named generator starts to pay for the effort. Hourly matching we can do across the whole range. Additionality, where generation is contracted specifically against your load, is the part that needs around 20 GWh.
Is a PPA cheaper than buying normally?
Not automatically, and anyone promising that is guessing. A PPA swaps an unknown future price for a known one and ties your power to a named asset. Sometimes that trade is clearly worth it. Sometimes the answer is a better negotiated supply contract.
Fixed price or indexed?
A flat price for ten years is certainty, and it is also a bet. Collars and indexation share the risk in a way most finance teams prefer once they have seen the downside modelled properly.
What is the accounting treatment?
A virtual PPA is a derivative and will be accounted for as one. Get your auditors into the room before the term sheet, not after, and earlier still if the contract crosses a border or a currency.
Can you really match our supply hour by hour?
Hour by hour where generation is available, yes, with the remaining hours covered by REGO backed supply so the annual position is fully renewable. No generation stack covers every hour of every day, and we will not pretend ours does.
Working with us
How long does a deal take?
Three to six months from a standing start for a straightforward tender, longer where a new asset is being financed on the back of the offtake, or where credit support has to be negotiated alongside the price.
Do you handle the legal work?
No. We structure and negotiate the commercial terms and we will tell you which clauses matter and why. Your solicitor drafts and signs off the contract, and we work alongside them.
Do you work outside the UK?
Great Britain and Ireland is where our depth is. We work across continental Europe and North America, and elsewhere through people who are local to those markets. We will tell you which of those applies to your deal rather than implying we are everywhere.
What happens after signature?
Settlement checks, volume reconciliation, indexation reviews and a plan for the extension before the market decides for you. The contract is the start of the work rather than the end of it.
Not covered here? Ask us directly. If the answer is that a PPA is not right for you, that is a perfectly good outcome and it costs nothing to find out.
Wherever you are in the contract, we can help.
Generators, buyers, and the people advising them. The first conversation costs nothing and usually tells you quickly whether there is anything here.