We’re supporting local businesses by helping to facilitate a group of buyers from the Northern Beaches business community to secure a 100% renewable, long-term electricity Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). A buyers group will collectively scale up buying power while cutting time, complexity, and the cost of ‘going it alone’.
What is a PPA?
A power purchase agreement (PPA) is a long-term renewable electricity contract between a buyers group or buyer and a generator or vendor.
Why should I consider a PPA for my business?
A PPA can help local businesses make significant savings on their energy bills. It will also help businesses offset their carbon emissions, boost their environmental reputation and contribute to meeting global and local climate targets. While businesses with high electricity usage (over 100MWh/year) are most suitable, we encourage smaller businesses to also consider registering their interest.
Council has made excellent savings since putting a PPA in place, and we are well ahead of anticipated dates in our climate change targets.
How can Council help secure a good PPA for my business?
Council appointed an aggregator in March 2023 to facilitate a buyers group for Northern Beaches businesses and other organisations (who use over 100MWh/year) to tackle rising energy costs and carbon emissions.
In fact, our Council is already making significant savings through a Corporate PPA agreement with Iberdrola.
The greater number of businesses that participate, the deeper the discount and better terms that the PPA agreement can offer local businesses.
We are inviting all Northern Beaches businesses with high energy use (over 100MWh/year) to share their interest in participating in this exciting PPA offer to make potential savings and be part of a renewable energy future.
Why is Council involved in promoting a PPA?
There are more than 32,000 businesses on the Northern Beaches who, between them, are responsible for 38% of C02 emissions, of which around 61% is from electricity emissions. This is markedly higher than residential electricity emissions in relation to overall residential C02 emissions.
We’re assisting local businesses with their sustainability goals via Council’s Sustainability Business Network. By supporting them to join a group PPA, we hope they can achieve their net zero goals, and help deliver Council’s commitments towards net zero in the community:
- reducing carbon emissions in our community by more than half by 2040
- achieving net zero emissions by 2050 (although are looking to achieve this by 2030)
Delivering against key renewable electricity actions in Council's Climate Change Action Plan.
Meeting two of Council’s current Cities Power Partnership pledges.
