Case Study: Assessing the Solar Panel Portfolio of Peterborough City Council

Pete Nisbet

edenseven Supports Peterborough City Council toward their Sustainability Journey


By developing a model of their current portfolio to project a forward path.


Peterborough City Council owns a portfolio of several thousand rooftop solar panels that are used to provide renewable energy to their tenants.


In addition to providing obvious benefits in terms of a reduction in carbon emissions with clean energy, the Council also receives income through the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme. FIT was designed by government to promote the uptake of renewable and low-carbon electricity generation.


Project Overview


The Council needed to assess the current value of the portfolio and asked edenseven to develop a model to forecast the predicted electricity usage and corresponding income. The model needed to be:


  • Robust and auditable, following industry best practices.


  • Flexible, to allow for testing different scenarios and assumptions.


  • Provide visibility of future quarterly income and cost patterns.


  • Allow users with limited experience to change assumptions and assess results.


Skills & Knowledge


  • Understanding of solar PV installations, performance, and cost drivers.


  • Understanding of FIT tariff schemes and the variables that affect them (e.g. installation date, capacity, RPI).


  • Ability to create complex yet robust and user-friendly data models.

 

  • Ability to interact with stakeholders to ensure the model captures and reflects the needs of the Council.


Outcome & Results


  1. Project Model: edenseven developed a model that met the Council’s expectations.
  2. Financial Clarity: The model allowed the council to assess financial value as well as expected income and cost flows.
  3. Adaptability: Although the initial aim was to use the model to evaluate the portfolio, its flexibility allowed it to be used as a tool to track changes on the portfolio over time.

About Cambridge Management Consulting


Cambridge Management Consulting (Cambridge MC) is an international consulting firm that helps companies of all sizes have a better impact on the world. Founded in Cambridge, UK, initially to help the start-up community, Cambridge MC has grown to over 150 consultants working on projects in 20 countries.


Our capabilities focus on supporting the private and public sector with their people, process and digital technology challenges.


For more information visit www.cambridgemc.com or get in touch below.


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