Image: Puredrive Energy.

Puredrive Energy has launched a power purchase agreement (PPA) offer for installations of battery energy storage facilities up to 50kWh to address the different needs of the commercial sector.

The company is touting its own Pure Storage CM solution, which can be offered alongside solar PV, to small businesses with a bespoke deal matched to the customers’ needs.

Paul Collins, technical manager at Puredrive Energy, told Solar Power Portal: “There isn't really one pitch because everyone has different needs and everybody sees PV and battery storage differently. It's what the customer requires and the reason they want to do it which might be different to someone else.

“There's many reasons – reducing energy, capturing energy that's going out the door, the green factor – so we just try to work with the end user to give them what they require.”

The company is targeting PPA deals ranging between 7-20 years, with managing director Mark Miller stating the battery will last this term depending on the duty and the size of the battery that has been installed.

Over this time, customers can be offered a PPA rate of around 8-9p/kWh to pay back the cost of the equipment, in exchange for an estimated 20% reduction in their bills. Puredrive will also seek to build capacity across several installations to take the batteries into the grid services market.

“It's a straight absorption at the moment, the deal is based on its effectiveness to store energy and release energy locally,” Miller said.

“We do have demand side response capabilities and also we have dynamic frequency response capabilities as well but you can't offer those unless it's above 1MW, so once we have enough of those installed it is something we can go back to.”

In the meantime, Puredrive utilises its team of energy brokers to work with energy suppliers and cut a deal that's acceptable within the agreed payback terms.

If the participating customer decides to purchase the system outright, Puredrive expects a payback period of around six years.

Social housing trials “gone well”

The launch of the commercial battery PPA offer comes as Puredrive continues its efforts to roll-out residential storage, solar and LEDs in social housing.

In December the company began trials of the technology package – using a 4.8kW battery and 3-4kW solar PV systems – in homes managed by Severn Vale Housing under a fully funded offer using finance from an unnamed investment partner.

Miller explained that these trails has “gone well”, with one resident noticing saving within just one week of installation.

The company now has approval to move towards addressable stock, targeting 350-400 homes with the free installs in an effort to build enough capacity for aggregation and dynamic frequency response. Installs are likely to begin next quarter with systems completed within a year.