Renewable technology developer Shawton Energy has signed an agreement with the Co-Op group to help support the retail giant’s rollout of rooftop solar PV.
Working with Sol PV as a delivery partner, Shawton Energy will design, develop, fund, and manage rooftop solar PV systems at key Co-op locations using a power purchase agreement (PPA) model. This allows Co-op to make significant energy and cost savings without having to put forward any upfront investment. Co-op will now purchase the power from Shawton Energy at a flat, discounted rate. While this rollout currently only convers some of the Co-Op’s over 2,500 retail locations, there remains potential for expanding this partnership in the future.
Commenting on the new deal, Jamie Shaw, CEO of Shawton Energy, praised the Co-Op’s “robust” climate action plan, adding that the retail chain will see significant protection against energy market volatility under this deal. Shaw concluded: “Securing a place on the Co-op framework is a fantastic opportunity for Shawton Energy, expanding our client base and continuing to solidify our trusted position in completing high-quality, large-scale solar portfolio rollouts.”
Tony Waite, CEO of Sol PV Group, added that the deal is a “fantastic step” towards helping the UK retail sector reduce emissions, noting: “By leveraging our expertise in large-scale commercial PV installations, we aim to help The Co-op Group drive down carbon emissions and reduce energy costs across their estate.”
Shawton Energy’s PPA solution proving successful
This is not the first significant deal with a well-known British chain that Shawton Energy has agreed this year. The company announced in March of this year that it had made an agreement with health and wellness club operator the Bannatyne Group, which has installed solar panels on the rooftops of a number of its health clubs, hotels and spas under a similar PPA agreement to that Shawton Energy has made with the Co-Op.
According to the Bannatyne Group, the installations, which consist of 967 panels and 11 inverters across eight sites around the UK, have already provided significant energy savings to the group. Since their completion, each of the eight sites has reportedly secured energy savings of up to 25%.
Earlier in 2025, Shawton Energy expanded its development pipeline as it acquired an 8.6MW solar project under development in Pembrokeshire, South Wales, from One Planet. The unnamed project was granted planning permission last year and now is at the ready-to-build stage of development.
