Affinity pilot completion heralds £29m investment in solar by 2050

Affinity Water has completed the pilot stage for its solar power arrays in Surrey with a combined capacity of 1.2MW at its Chertsey and Walton sites. It has calculated the arrays will produce, on average, more than 4.2MWh a day a full year and reported that the pilot, since April 2022, saved £215,000 in energy costs.

It said it was preparing to construct solar arrays at another 28 sites during the second phase of the project and unveiled plans to invest £29m in solar power by 2050.

Affinity Water worked with Centrica Business Solutions and UPOWA on the pilot. It was, according to Affinity. Its first step in a plan to be operationally net zero by 2030 for scope one and two emissions, and net zero by 2050.

It said future phases will include wind power and battery storage and the transition of its fleet to electric vehicles. And it forecasts that by 2030 it will generate 10% of its baseload energy usage from its own renewable generation assets.

Separately, Affinity Water has shifted to a 100% Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin- (REGO-) backed tariff through power purchase agreements for renewable energy for electricity consumed by all of its pumping stations, buildings, and sites.