Marston’s Seals £5.4M Deal to Install Solar Panels on 120 Pub Rooftops

Image Credit: Marston's

In a bold move towards sustainability, Marston’s is gearing up to equip 120 pubs with rooftop solar panels over the next 12 months. The £5.4m initiative will be backed by a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), ensuring a solid business case for the project. Rather than owning the solar systems, Marston’s will purchase 100% of the energy produced. At the same time, Atrato Onsite Energy retains ownership of the solar equipment and handles all monitoring responsibilities.

Two Blues Solar, known for its innovative renewable energy solutions, is on board as the project’s developer, with Nuvolt leading the installations. The deal will lock in predictable energy prices for the next 25 years, marking a milestone as the UK’s first solar agreement of this scale for a major pub chain.

Two Blues Solar’s co-founder, Daniel Levene, said the framework attracted Marston’s because it “insulates [the business] from market swings while removing upfront costs”.

Marston’s’ director of investment, Andy Kershaw, said: “Through this partnership, we can now significantly accelerate the rollout of solar across our community-based pub estate without diverting capital from our core operations, helping our pubs make the transition to renewable energy while reducing our total emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.”

Each solar system is expected to cover 15-20% of the energy demand at each participating pub annually. The first solar installation was completed in January, and the rollout is on track to finish within a year. Each installation takes just two to three weeks. During the installations, pubs will continue to operate as usual.

Once fully implemented, the project will cut Marston’s carbon footprint by an estimated 600 tonnes per year. As part of its ambitious sustainability strategy, Marston aims for a net-zero target by 2040 and is in the process of developing interim goals for approval by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). A comprehensive transition plan is also in the works.

This isn’t Marston’s first foray into solar energy; in the 2024 financial year, it installed solar panels across 19 pubs and has already adopted onsite solar at its Pub Support Centre. This latest move comes as the UK Government considers new regulations to speed up solar installations in car parks, with a call for evidence open until June 18.