Europa Worldwide's Shield Road hub got over 40% of its power from a new 600 kWp roof array in its first month. Here is the deal that made it happen.

One of Dartford’s biggest riverside employers is now making a large share of its own electricity. Europa Worldwide Group has switched on a 600 kWp solar array on the roof of its Dartford hub, its first rooftop installation anywhere.

In the first month, more than 40 per cent of the site’s electricity came from the panels. The company announced the figures in a statement published on 24 September.

The numbers

Europa’s statement gives these figures for the array:

  • 600 kWp of rooftop solar panels
  • 541,800 kWh of electricity expected each year
  • about £80,000 saved in the first year, at current electricity rates
  • over 40 per cent of the site’s consumption met by solar in month one

The Dartford site is the company’s head office on Shield Road, DA1 5UR, in the Thames-side business parks north of the town centre. Europa describes it as its European road freight hub and the base for its warehousing (3PL) services, which is why it uses so much power in daylight hours. The company puts the value of the site at £30 million.

Who paid for it

Europa does not own the building. Its landlord, Prologis, installed the panels under a 30-year power purchase agreement. Under that deal Europa pays nothing up front and buys the electricity the roof generates.

The agreement sits alongside Europa’s lease. According to the company, it carries no dilapidation or exit charges if Europa leaves the building before the 30 years are up. Europa says this is Prologis’s 48th rooftop solar installation in the UK.

Why it took years

Europa says it had looked at solar for Dartford “for several years”. The obstacle was not money but the number of parties involved.

Tom Jenkins, Central Services Director at Europa Worldwide Group, said: “We have wanted to utilise solar panels on our Dartford headquarters and transit hub for a long time. The environmental and commercial case is compelling, particularly for a large logistics facility with substantial daytime energy demand, but there are way too many barriers.”

He added: “Warehouse occupiers may not own their buildings, while landlords, energy providers, network operators and legal teams all need to be involved.”

Europa cites UK Warehousing Association figures that existing warehouse roofs could carry 17.3 GW of solar capacity, and research on more than 300 warehouse roofs that found only five per cent had panels.

What it means for you

  • A model for other big sheds. Plenty of Dartford’s riverside warehouses are leased rather than owned by the firms inside them. Europa’s point is that the landlord, not the tenant, has to lead for panels to go up.
  • No change for neighbours. The panels sit on an existing roof, and Europa has not said anything about new building work or vehicle movements.
  • Thinking about solar at home? Listed buildings and conservation areas have extra rules. Our Dartford planning applications page explains how to search the council’s register.

Europa has campaigned before on congestion at the Dartford Crossing. For this week’s closures on the crossing and in the borough, see our Dartford roadworks page.