EDF Renewables UK and Ireland (EDF Renewables) has announced the acquisition of SAS Energy, a solar energy provider for the commercial and industrial sectors.  

SAS Energy became a fully owned subsidiary of EDF on 15 September. More than 45 projects, both in development and construction, now fall under EDF ownership.  

According to the French energy giant, the two companies have a pre-established relationship. Recently, both completed the installation of rooftop mounted solar PV at aviation company Safran’s Pitstone manufacturing facility in the south of the UK. 

More than 2,100 roof-mounted panels were installed, which developers expect will cover an estimated 47% of daytime electricity usage between May and September. 

“The acquisition of SAS Energy will allow us to accelerate our growth and build on an already healthy pipeline of projects by benefitting from their experience of successfully installing renewables for commercial clients over many years,” Matthieu Hue, CEO of EDF Renewables, said in a press statement.  

EDF Renewables currently has more than 45MW of solar projects in construction and development. According to the company, the acquisition will “expand the in-house offering to include both Financed and Capital funded projects across solar, electric vehicle charging and battery storage for commercial clients”.  

The UK Government has set ambitious targets for solar installation. It seeks to quintuple solar capacity by 2035, taking it up to 70GW from current levels of around 14GW. This is the same year that ministers seek to completely decarbonise the country’s energy system. 

“From the start, our purpose was to help businesses play their part in the fight against climate change by taking advantage of the benefits offered by solar,” said Nick Porter, managing director of SAS Energy. “From our existing relationship with EDF Renewables UK, it is clear that they share this vision, so we are incredibly excited to join such a well-established leader in renewables.”