SSE Airtricity is to acquire 40 per cent of Monaghan-based rooftop solar systems supplier Activ8 Solar Energies.
The company has an option to acquire an additional 10 per cent after two years. SSE Airtricity said the existing Activ8 management team will lead this business, which will continue to trade as Activ8 Solar Energies.
The acquisition is subject to approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and SSE Airtricity said it expects to complete the purchase in the coming months.
Activ8 Solar Energies is based in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan and employs about 40 people directly including engineers, plumbers and electricians and utilises the services of a team of sub-contractors.
The company has been in business for more than 10 years and has supplied and installed more than 7,000 solar energy systems across the island of Ireland.
Activ8 Solar Energies was selected by SSE Airtricity Energy Services in 2016 as a preferred partner in the delivery of Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland-supported domestic and community-based retrofit schemes.
Commercially, Activ8 partnered with SSE Airtricity in 2017 to install a 1,400-panel rooftop array covering more than 2,300 sq m and generating 420 kilowatt peak of solar energy at the SSE Arena, Belfast.
SSE Airtricity’s director of business energy Stephen Gallagher said the acquisition “marks yet another significant step forward in the development of our growing commercial and domestic energy services offering”.
Retrofit projects
“Activ8 is one of the leading rooftop solar companies in Ireland, and since 2016 our two companies have worked in partnership to deliver large-scale deep retrofit projects, whether under the Better Energy Communities programme or with innovative energy-generating installations such as our roof-mounted solar PV array at the SSE Arena.
“Activ8 has a very strong team which is the driving force behind the company’s success. Now, subject to approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Activ8 and SSE Airtricity are poised to bring our combined strengths and unique offerings to a much wider domestic and commercial customer base, including SSE Airtricity’s 750,000 energy supply customers across the island.”
Activ8 Solar Energies chief executive Ciarán Marron said the company had successfully grown its electrical contracting business since 2017 “to become one of Ireland’s top installers of solar energy systems”.
“This major investment by SSE Airtricity into our business represents an exciting step-forward for the growth of our business and service offering at Activ8, and we look forward to working together with SSE Airtricity as we develop new customer offerings to meet our shared growth ambitions for this rapidly-developing technology sector,” he said.
