We design, develop, and operate bespoke private wire systems that supply renewable energy directly to businesses, completely bypassing the grid.
Grid access is increasingly constrained and where it’s available, it’s often costly and slow. Sonaura’s private wire solutions provide resilience, speed, and control, built for the realities of today’s industrial demands.
We carry out an assessment of your site, looking at your electricity demand, existing energy procurement strategy and nearby land availability to determine whether your site is viable for an private wire solution and to prepare an outline technical and commercial proposal.
After signing heads of terms, we will work with you to prepare a full system design and commercial proposal which is tailored precisely to your needs. Sonaura can fund the project under a fully funded power purchase agreement model, or you can fund it under a development services agreement.
We partner with top-tier engineering, procurement and construction partners to design and build the project, tailoring it to your operational requirements.
After commissioning, we can take full responsibility for maintaining the project, ensuring its operation remains optimised to meet your needs.
Our team works with energy managers, technical leads, and operational directors across Europe. These are the most common questions we get about how our private wire energy solutions work.
Sonaura is an international developer of private wire renewable energy systems, specialising in offsite solutions. The renewable electricity which we generate is supplied directly to large power users via a private cable, connected ‘behind’ the import meter, completely bypassing the grid. This helps power users to reduce their carbon footprint by procuring locally generated renewable power, as opposed to importing carbon intensive electricity from the grid.
Private wire solutions facilitate direct access to renewable energy on a scale not matched by other renewable energy solutions, offering significant cost savings for power users, providing a hedge against electricity market volatility, and allowing power users to maximise progress towards their sustainability targets.
Sonaura’s private wire solutions offer transformative advantages for large energy consumers. To list a few:
Sonaura is technology agnostic and will aim to provide the most appropriate technology solution. Typically, this will be solar power, but in some instances (typically when a power user has a 24/7 power demand) wind power may also be appropriate. Energy storage will also be considered in every project during the design phase in close consultation with the power user and Sonaura’s technical advisors.
The different generation profiles of solar and wind technologies is an important consideration when selecting a private wire solution.
Solar PV generation is tied to sunlight, meaning it produces electricity during daylight hours, with peak generation in the afternoon. Its output varies seasonally, with higher generation in summer and lower output during winter. In contrast, onshore wind generation tends to produce a flatter profile and is driven by wind speeds which can occur at any time; however it is likely to be higher at night and during winter.
Private wire systems that combine both solar and wind technologies offer a more balanced, near 24/7 generation profile. The combined generation profiles balance out the intermittency associated with renewable power, ensuring a more consistent flow of power throughout the day and year. By combining wind and solar technologies, an IPU can further reduce reliance on grid electricity for greater cost-savings and environmental impact.
That said, what technology mix is ‘best’ is largely dependent on your specific site and business priorities. During the commercial design of the project, we will analyse your consumption against the generation profile of a renewable asset to determine how they match your demand to provide you with the best solution.
Sonaura offers two delivery structures:
Under a PWPPA, Sonaura is responsible for funding 100% of the costs for the development, design, build, installation, operation and maintenance of each project. Sonaura retains ownership of the project and sells the power generated by the project to the power user under a long-term private wire power purchase agreement. The power user is not required to provide any upfront capital investment to the project.
Under a DSA, the power user is responsible for funding 100% of the costs for Sonaura to the develop the project on behalf of the power user until it reaches “ready to build status”, meaning that all the permissions, permits, consents and land rights that are required to design, build and operate the project have been obtained. The power user retains ownership of the project and pays Sonaura a development fee based on the total installed capacity of the project upon the achievement of certain milestones in the development process.
Sonaura can offer PWPPA terms between 15 and 40 years depending on a power user’s credit rating and future plans for the site, amongst other things. Contract length will have a substantial impact on pricing – typically a longer contract means a lower price..
A DSA will come to an end once the project reaches “ready to build status”.
Sonaura’s standard offer features a fixed, index-linked price, where a price is set and adjusted annually based on a pre-agreed index. Some power users have requested a higher price for an initial term, transitioning to a lower base price later in the contract, which Sonaura can accommodate. Sonaura’s primary requirement is meeting the investor IRR hurdle, allowing flexibility in structuring agreements to suit IPU preferences.
Sonaura also offers a ‘discount-to-market’ offer where the PPA price links (with a discount) to the overall grid-imported price for the power user. This price will be subject to a floor to ensure that the project remains profitable. This pricing structure enables the power user to achieve financial savings versus grid power for the duration of the contract (assuming the floor price is not hit).
Depending on the power demand profile of a power user’s site, Sonaura will typically expect to supply 20-30% of a site’s annual power demand from a solar-only solution. When a power user wants to maximise decarbonisation and financial savings, system sizes can be increased to match a higher share of your power demand. Our focus is on designing a system that helps you achieve your financial and sustainability objectives.
This depends on the delivery model.
Under a PWPPA structure, Sonaura retains ownership of all the assets and private wire infrastructure. This includes underground cabling, substations, metering, and connection equipment.
Under a development services agreement (DSA), the power user retains ownership of all the assets and private wire infrastructure.
This also depends on the delivery model. Under a PWPPA structure, the project’s development costs are funded by Sonaura. Under a DSA structure, the project’s development costs are funded by the power user.
For a solar-focused project, the full development cycle through to commercial operations can typically take between 18 and 24 months from signing heads of terms. The availability of essential information, combined with a power user’s ability to progress sign-off processes efficiently, can be very influential to the speed of project development. Sonaura will guide a power user through the development process whenever they are required. Wherever possible Sonaura tries to limit workload for power users.
There are multiple options available for excess power production including: a change in a site’s operational schedule (particularly for some sectors like cold-storage which can ‘flex’ demand up/down); storage in a heat or electrical battery for later usage; use in additional processes (electrolysis for example); export to the grid at variable power prices; export to the grid under the Smart Export Guarantee (dependent on system size, and only in the UK); export to the grid with an EEG tariff (dependent on location of project, and only in Germany); export to the grid under a ‘sleeve’ arrangement to other sites in the power user’s portfolio; or ultimately, curtailment. Where possible, the export of power to the grid will be managed by Sonaura on behalf of a power user, including putting in place the required contractual arrangements.
Sonaura is proudly backed by Eurazeo, one of Europe’s leading investment groups. With deep expertise in infrastructure and a commitment to sustainability, Eurazeo supports us in scaling clean energy solutions across Europe — quickly, responsibly, and at scale.
We’ll evaluate your site, design your solution, and present a custom technical and commercial plan – at no cost to you.
