Net Zero Strategy & Financing

We review, analyse and benchmark your specific requirements – identifying, forecasting and verifying the energy and carbon reduction opportunities available, and then develop a bespoke solution.

Including desk research and usually requiring one or more site visits, our feasibility studies determine if a project is:

• Technically correct.
• Commercially viable.
• Able to deliver the benefits anticipated: carbon reduction, cost savings, etc.
• The right thing to do for your organisation – and if better alternatives exist.

Importantly, we check if a proposed project or technology is attractive when weighed against alternatives offering different carbon and cost benefits: whether that means onsite generation and private wire, other renewables like wind, solar and hydro, or power purchase arrangements (PPAs). We are not prescriptive: all options are on the table.

What we do

We start by establishing project scope. We recommend that all clients use the Consultus Net Zero Pathway tool as a starting point to gain an early indication of options and costs based on real-life set-up and requirements.

We carry out desk research using client input, which can include historic energy consumption data, together with your aspirations regarding net zero, sustainability, demand management and energy reduction. We look to answer questions including:

• What is your current energy consumption, where do you get your energy from today, and what are you paying for it?
• What are your net zero goals, aspirations and time lines – and how can they be best achieved?
• What technologies, approaches or projects align most with those requirements and aspirations?
• How much can renewables contribute to your power needs, now and in the future?
• What projects/energy reduction options are available, and what are their impacts on carbon reduction and costs, including specific impacts such as Climate Change Agreements?
• What funding options are available for your net zero strategy and energy reduction projects?
• Could you generate power from renewables onsite? If so, at what cost and benefit?
• What is the functionality, annual outputs and benefits of other specific technologies or projects?
• What quantifiable benefits can you achieve in the longer term (carbon and costs)?
• What are the best ways to balance your real-life energy demand with reducing carbon emissions and controlling costs while consistently moving forward on your net zero journey?

Feasibility report and recommendations

Outputs include specific calculations, analyses, observations, benchmarking and recommendations:

• Projected reductions in carbon emission.
• Net savings in relation to current costs.
• Other CSR impacts.
• Risk analyses.
• Likely unit rates and cost of energy, and flagging if further savings may be possible.
• Potential for surplus power production and its onward sale.
• Further gains that may be possible e.g. project modifications to achieve economies of scale.
• Tender recommendations e.g. whole of market CPPA tendering.

Flexible options available to support your net zero goals include turnkey solutions for onsite generation (private wire/direct wire), Energy as a Service, Power Purchase Agreements, and Commercial Power Purchase Agreements.

Our consultants can explain how these options align with your own strategy and net zero aspirations, and explore the various funding options with you.

Turnkey solution for onsite generation

Consultus has longstanding experience and resources in delivering onsite and “over the wall” Energy Resilience projects for clients in diverse sectors. We can provide a complete solution for private wire generation including renewables, low-carbon heating & cooling and various funding options. Our approach combines world-class design and installation of prime generating equipment with unique trading and energy optimisation services.

Energy as a Service (EaaS)

We take away the complexity of energy procurement, supply and management as part of your net zero journey, handling all aspects of energy tendering and supply, in line with your organisation’s sustainability and energy reduction goals. This end-to-end approach covers all aspects of technology, tendering, contracts and negotiation, and ongoing management in delivering clean power.

An alternative to asset-driven and/or centralised power generation, the focus throughout is on delivering carbon reductions and cost savings wherever possible – with the energy consumer paying a simple single fee for this consolidated service. EaaS can incorporate any aspect of a net zero and energy reduction strategy, from identifying and procuring the lowest cost renewable supplies to demand reduction and optimising building automation and management systems.

Power Purchase Agreements (PPA)

PPAs help you to go greener and achieve net zero targets faster, reducing market price risk and improving your energy security.

Long-term agreements between an energy consumer who wants to buy 100% renewable energy and the power producer, the greatest benefits are achieved through onsite PPA arrangements. Providing renewable energy with no third-party charges, generating assets are physically installed behind the metering point of an energy consumer, and are specified to meet a site’s demand and profile. Any excess energy generated can be sold back to the market.

• Onsite generation assets can be funded in various ways, with delivery and management typically outsourced as a turnkey solution to an external provider
• Options include direct wire connections or wire over the wall from adjacent generating plant
• PPA and CPPA energy can be sleeved into or offset against an existing energy supply contract

Commercial Power Purchase Agreements (CPPA)

This flexible option has simpler contractual arrangements than a physical PPA but delivers similar benefits. With these arrangements beyond the reach of many organisations, we can use our market presence and leverage to bring you deals that you would not otherwise access.

In direct or indirect PPAs, electricity is not supplied direct from a green generating plant to a consumer. Instead, the power produced is traded on the wholesale energy market. Electricity is accessed from the grid in the usual way, which means it is still subject to the usual third-party charges.

We are completely agnostic of tendering platforms and generating technologies: our sole objective is to scan the entire marketplace to identify the best possible solution for your needs. Our unique e-tendering approach immediately connects with 400+ potential green energy generators and projects Europe-wide.

Investing in a more sustainable future: we can advise on a range of funding options to support your net zero strategy and energy reduction investments. Our approach covers all possible funding streams.

Our long experience in the energy sector and our expertise in sustainability mean we can deliver the feasibility studies, investment grade audits (IGA), evidence-based insights and other due diligence required to underpin investments. Funding options available can include:

• Self-funding: the energy consumer and/or its finance partners funds the net zero or energy reduction project.
• Government grants: for example, Salix Finance provides funding to public sector organisations to improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and bring down energy bills. Salix is a non-departmental public body wholly owned by the UK government. We can also help with applications to the Industrial Energy Technology Fund – please contact us for details.
• External commercial funding: you engage with a funding partner to execute your net zero or energy reduction project, receiving the benefits of those investments while not owning the infrastructure or assets.
• Consultus funding: we work with our banking partner and your finance team to arrange the necessary investment for your strategic net zero or energy reduction project.

Funding will generally only go ahead once all necessary due diligence is complete, including feasibility studies, data analysis and investment grade audit (IGA). Please get in touch for more details.

This audit is a detailed study by a qualified energy service provider covering a particular energy performance contract or project. It provides as much certainty as possible that a project or solution will work as planned before final recommendations are made to the Board.

An IGA can cover any aspect of a site, premises and planned project. It includes detailed descriptions and analyses of improvements recommended or required for the project, estimated costs, operations and maintenance (O&M) cost savings, and ongoing energy cost savings that are forecast to result from the net zero or energy reduction project.

We provide IGA as part of our Net Zero Strategy & Financing portfolio. Please get in touch for details. As with a Feasibility Study, the IGA is normally included as an addendum to a Board Pack.

By 2040, 67% of vehicles sold in Europe will be electric. Our experts can ensure you benefit from the EV revolution as part of your net zero journey.

As organisations electrify employee cars and other vehicle fleets, a growing number are installing charging solutions at offices, factories and other facilities. The benefits are led by major carbon reductions, especially if charging is done using electricity from renewable sources.

We bring clarity and consistency to your EV strategy and financing. This means helping you to plan, fund and deploy effective EV fleets, intelligent infrastructure and networks, based on leading-edge tech, to connect charging points and deliver the visibility and cost controls you need. A user-friendly dashboard shows real-time status and detailed mapping.

• Smart charging means you are better placed to comply with environmental legislation and achieve sustainability goals faster: build your brand as a green leader.
• Intelligent networks enable visibility and control through real-time cloud services, with optimised costs, improved productivity, and an enhanced employee and customer experience.
• Control and customisation – who can access charging stations and when, and setting the prices that drivers pay based on e.g. energy cost, duration, time of use, session length, driver group.
• Greater visibility of activity with proactive real-time monitoring and detailed reporting of energy consumption and costs, plus the ability to change charging station policies quickly and easily.
• Smart features for an excellent user experience, including a ‘wait list’ that notifies drivers when a charging spot is available and holds it for them. Information is shared via a free easy-to-use app.
• Power management software so owners and operators can reduce station installation costs, drive down ongoing electricity costs, and charge more vehicles.
• Future-proofed – the technology we use is designed to last 10+ years, and you can install new charging points and rollout additional functionality without electrical upgrades.

The output of all this activity is typically a bespoke Board Pack with a detailed business case for and against the net zero projects, options and associated investments, aligned with an organisation’s set-up and requirements.

The packs typically include details of net zero strategies recommended, the organisation’s net zero aspirations and preferred time lines, project options on the table, summary data and findings from feasibility studies, investment grade audit (IGA) results, funding possibilities, and final recommendations.

The Board Pack enables C-level decision makers to engage with their organisation’s net zero journey and explore the options available with confidence. Decisions are made based on all available evidence, rigorous data analyses, reasonable forecasts, and clear explanations of the benefits to be gained as well as the potential pitfalls – all from a trusted independent source.