Solar company pens multi-million dollar deal to completely transform local bars: 'This is the first … of its kind'

A British pub chain is tapping rooftop solar to keep the lights on and the beers cold. 

Marston's, the U.K.'s largest operator of community pubs, is installing rooftop solar at 120 locations in a major push to cut energy costs and carbon pollution, reported The Energyst. 

Backed by a £5.4 million investment from Atrato Onsite Energy, the project is being deployed by developer Two Blues Solar and installer Nuvolt. 

Instead of purchasing the panels outright, Marston's will buy the electricity through a power purchase agreement, a model that lets Marston's buy the electricity generated on-site at a fixed price for the next 25 years. 

In a country where utility costs have sent shockwaves through the hospitality industry, that kind of price stability is a big deal.

"This is the first multi-site Power Purchase Agreement rollout of its kind for a large pub chain in the UK," said Daniel Levene, co-founder of Two Blues Solar. "Our standardised framework simplifies deployment across hundreds of sites … while removing upfront costs."

The nationwide rollout is expected to generate about 30,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which could offset 15 to 20% of an individual pub's energy demand. 

Installations began in January, take two to three weeks per site, and are on track to hit 10 new pubs each month. Marston's says there's no impact on day-to-day business during setup. 

The company estimates that it will reduce its pollution by 660 tons in the first year alone, about the same as removing 430 cars from the road. It's part of Marston's broader strategy to hit Net Zero by 2040. 

"We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment," said Andy Kershaw, the company's director of investment. "Through this partnership, we can now significantly accelerate the rollout of solar across our community-based pub estate without diverting capital from our core operations."

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Beyond protecting pubs from energy market volatility, this kind of local, distributed solar also boosts grid stability and shrinks dependence on dirty energy sources, something more businesses are recognizing as both urgent and financially smart. 

Similar models are already proving successful in the U.S., where community solar projects are cutting subscribers' annual electricity costs by as much as 20%, and businesses such as Wendy's are transitioning locations to solar to source between 30% and 100% of their energy.

Looking to make your own clean energy switch? Installing rooftop solar can dramatically lower your utility bills and make your home more energy-independent. EnergySage offers a free tool to compare quotes from vetted local installers, and help you save up to $10,000 on installation. 

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