London, August 2015. Aquila Capital, one of Europe’s leading independent alternative asset managers, today announces that it has purchased an additional photovoltaic park in the UK for an undisclosed sum. The plant is located close to Sheffield and has an installed capacity of 9.8 MWp. The transaction increases Aquila Capital’s extensive track record in photovoltaic investments to 505 MWp.
The British developer Blue Planet Solar Holdings Ltd. developed the project in cooperation with Pfalzsolar GmbH, which also operated as the EPC. The photovoltaic plant was grid connected in March 2015 and qualifies for the ROC 1.4 support scheme. The park benefits from high quality equipment with poly-cristalline modules from REC, inverters from Sungrow and fixed mounting system from CWF.
Pfalzsolar GmbH is a subsidiary of Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft, a leading German EPC and O&M provider who has become active in the UK photovoltaic market in 2014.
Susanne Wermter, Head of Aquila Capital’s Special Investment Team, said: “This is the second photovoltaic plant that we have acquired in the UK this year. We believe that Britain’s support scheme in combination with relatively high energy prices provides an attractive investment case. Our close cooperation with experienced and reliable partners like Pfalzsolar ensures that our investments in the region are successfully realised.”
Thomas Kercher, Managing Director of Pfalzsolar, added: “Turnkey photovoltaic plants in the UK have increasingly been gaining the attention of institutional investors. Together with Aquila Capital, we have been able to further expand our presence in the region.”
Aquila Capital ranks fourth in Solarplaza’s recent ‘70 largest PV portfolios in Europe,’ making it one of the largest financial investors in this space.
Photovoltaic investments globally reached USD 149.6 billion last year, which was 25% higher than in 2013.² The strong increase in growth was largely driven by the significant decrease in production costs of photovoltaic energy, resulting in increased competitiveness for the energy source.
Source1: Research carried out among 61 institutional investors across Europe in February 2015
Source²; http://about.bnef.com/press-releases/rebound-clean-energy-investment-2014-beats-expectations/
About Aquila Capital
Established in 2001, Aquila Capital is a leading alternative investment firm managing a family of strategies in real assets, financial and private markets. The company applies a multi-team investment approach with dedicated experts in their respective fields. From regulated mutual funds to direct investments and special mandates, as a long-term partner, Aquila Capital provides holistic investment concepts and comprehensive investment advice and services to its investors.
Aquila Capital is part of the owner-managed Aquila Group, which employs more than 200 staff at eight locations in Europe and Asia Pacific and manages assets of over EUR 8.4bn for a global investor base (as at March 2015).
Further information can be found at www.aquila-capital.com.
About Pfalzsolar
As a strong partner for investors, municipals, commercial and private customers Pfalzsolar GmbH plans, builds, finances and operates photovoltaic plants since 2003 – economically, reliably and from a single source. In 2015 we look back on numerous international references with the highest industry standards of different scales. On behalf of our investors and customers we are furthermore responsible for the operation and maintenance of a constantly growing plant portfolio.
The PFALZWERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, the largest energy supplier in the Pfalz and Saarpfalz district, is a strong parent company behind Pfalzsolar, which combines a tradition of more than 100 years with innovation and modern service concepts. Together, we stand for an sustainable energy supply – today and in the future.
Further information at: www.pfalzsolar.de
