An online agency platform to connect UK landowners and renewable energy developers has been launched today.
Renewables Connect is the country’s first online platform for renewable energy projects and will provide a matchmaking service between landowners, developers, and investors.
The company’s online database will comprise land, sites, and projects for battery storage, as well as solar, wind, and hydrogen.
It will mean landowners can list sites at no cost to themselves. Land can be added to the database at any stage whether the site is considered to have renewable development potential, has planning consent, a grid connection secured or is currently operational.
Developers and investors will pay a subscription fee to access the interactive online database. However, new subscribers joining now will benefit from an initial 6-month free trial period.
Renewables Connect’s founder and managing director of Keir & Co Chartered Surveyors and Chartered Town Planners Keir Doe (pictured) said: “Through my work with landowners and developers across the UK, I see first-hand the challenges and frustrations which both parties are facing – landowners are often overlooked or bypassed, and developers are exhausting vast sums of money, resources and time searching for suitable sites, only for sites to fall through or come to a dead end”.
“With considerable uncertainties over the future of UK farming, including Single Farm Payments, commodity prices and the weather, we are seeing an increase in farmers and estate owners partnering with renewable developers – to secure lucrative and passive diversification income.
“Our aim at Renewables Connect is to facilitate and streamline the connection process between landowners, developers, and investors interested in leasing, disposing of, or acquiring renewable energy projects.
“In a collective push to achieve Net Zero, there is a pressing need to ‘turbo charge’ the renewable energy industry.
“While there is little we can do to improve the current grid capacity issues, our pioneering platform should be a game-changer in accelerating the connection between willing landowners, renewable developers and investors.”