How energy brokers add a solar PPA to their proposition

The energy market has changed. Clients who would once have simply renewed a supply contract are asking harder questions about price exposure, sustainability commitments, and what their broker is actually doing for them beyond the renewal cycle.

A solar PPA is a direct answer to all three. It locks in a portion of your client’s electricity at a fixed rate 30 to 40% below the grid. It reduces their carbon footprint with a fully managed, zero-capex solution. And it gives you a reason to have a deeper commercial conversation than rate comparison alone.

UrbanVolt powers businesses with Solar as a Service, across more than 400 projects in the UK, Ireland, and eight international markets. We are backed by HSBC with €40m ready to deploy. When you refer a client to us, you are referring them to a provider with the financial depth, track record, and operational capacity to deliver.

You already have the relationship, the consumption data, and the trust. You do not need to become a solar expert to introduce a PPA. You need to understand the value clearly enough to start the conversation – and to have a partner who can carry it from there.

UrbanVolt handles the technical and contractual complexity. You retain your customer’s energy contract. We contract for the solar separately, meaning your existing relationship is protected throughout. You simply share in the rewards, generating recurring revenue for the duration of the contract, which can run for up to 30 years.

The clients who take up a PPA tend to stick. Long-term fixed-price contracts create long-term loyalty. The broker who brings a solution that saves a client money every year for a decade builds a relationship that is very difficult to replace at renewal.

The most effective frame is not a solar conversation. It is an energy cost management conversation. Your client is currently buying all their electricity at a market rate that moves with wholesale prices. A PPA lets them fix a portion of that spend at a discount for up to 30 years.

The timing matters. The conversation lands best at contract renewal, during a budget review, or when a client has just received a sharp quarterly bill. Those are the moments when price certainty has the most immediate value.

The objections you are likely to encounter – upfront cost, roof access, contract length, what happens if we move – are all addressed by UrbanVolt’s model. No capital outlay. No roof lease. Contracts aligned to lease terms. Full flexibility if circumstances change.

UrbanVolt has built a partner portal that makes it easy to move quickly. Input high-level site information and you have an indicative PPA estimate in seconds. No spreadsheets, no back-and-forth. If the client wants to proceed, we produce a proposal in your branding.

The model is straightforward: you input the data, and the rest is handled. Your client gets a white-labelled proposal. UrbanVolt manages everything from installation to maintenance to performance monitoring throughout the contract.

Your client then has visibility of their solar system’s performance, their carbon savings, and bills – all exportable in seconds.

Backing matters. UrbanVolt is financed by Verdane, one of Europe’s leading sustainability-focused funds, and by HSBC with €40m dedicated to UK solar deployment. When you refer a project to us, it will not stall on funding.

We are a certified B-Corp. Our environmental performance and transparency are independently verified. For clients with ESG commitments and supply chain sustainability targets, that matters. It is a selling point you can use.

We specify only Tier 1 equipment and hold third-party certification on our sourcing. Our team’s experience means we can support your clients with their solar needs – we have seen it all.

Not every client is suited to a PPA, and it is worth knowing the criteria before you start the conversation. The ideal customer profile for a PPA is:

– Annual daytime electricity usage above 100,000 kWh
– A roof in good condition with at least 500m² of usable space, free of significant shading
– Building ownership or a long lease of ten years or more
– A stable credit profile — sufficient to enter a long-term energy services agreement

Beyond the basics, the strongest fits are businesses operating during daylight hours with a relatively consistent load profile. Construction, engineering, food and beverage, heavy manufacturing, logistics, printing, retail, and agriculture are the sectors UrbanVolt works in most. If your client base includes any of these, you have a pipeline worth exploring.

Interested in finding out more about an EPC partnership with UrbanVolt? Our team can talk you through the process. Learn how partners across the UK are adding funding to their solar projects.