2024 Wrapped: A year in review with SmartestEnergy

2024 was a landmark year for the energy industry, marked by record growth in renewables, breakthroughs in green hydrogen, and rapid expansion of energy storage solutions. COP29 brought stronger global climate commitments, while energy security remained a priority amid market volatility and geopolitical challenges. It was also a standout year for SmartestEnergy—join us as we reflect on the top 10 highlights in our 2024 Wrapped blog.

1. SmartestEnergy launches market-leading Traceable Renewable Supply to drive greater transparency of renewable energy consumption 

Supported by technology from Granular Energy, our new Traceable Renewable Supply product offers businesses unprecedented transparency, enabling real-time tracking of energy consumption at half-hourly intervals, securing traceable REGOs from specific sources, and achieving a Carbon Free Energy (CFE) score.

The product has already been trialled in one of the UK’s largest-scale examples of half-hourly matching to-date, with 162 GWh matched across FY23/24. With one site already seeing a 23% increase in its CFE score, we enter 2025 with a great deal of excitement, as we introduce this innovative product to a diverse range of large businesses across the UK.   

2. SmartestEnergy expands our European trading footprint with the European Energy Exchange (EEX) 

We commenced trading on the European Energy Exchange (EEX) for German power and gas, a significant milestone in our journey to become a leading player in the European energy market.

“By trading on the EEX, we are gaining access to one of the most liquid and actively traded electricity markets in Europe. This enables us to better serve our customers and identify new opportunities for growth” said Fanos Shiamishis, Vice President of Trading at SmartestEnergy Limited. With plans underway for continued expansion of our trading and origination operations in 2025, we are committed to providing innovative energy solutions and contributing to a sustainable energy future across the SmartestEnergy .

3. SmartestEnergy secured its first CfD partnership with BayWa r.e, signing a new PPA deal for the Broken Cross Wind Farm

With a shared vision to drive the net zero transition, we are pleased to partner with BayWa r.e. UK, signing a six-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the Broken Cross Wind Farm, successful in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 4 (CfD AR4). Through our CfD PPA structure, we are proud to provide BayWa r.e. with a robust route-to-market, supporting the delivery of clean energy to the grid.

To celebrate this partnership, the SmartestEnergy team visited the site earlier this year, to explore the project and witness the power of renewable energy up close. Check out our case study to see highlights from the visit and hear insights directly from BayWa r.e.

4. SmartestEnergy calls for a comprehensive reform of Britain's fuel mix reporting to increase transparency and build consumer trust with a new position paper 

In December, we published a new position paper calling for a refresh in the way the origin of electricity is verified. Launched at the UK’s inaugural REGO Day, the paper titled “Hitting reset: Reforming Britain's fuel mix reporting to build consumer trust” advocates to reform the fuel mix disclosure and associated electricity certification scheme.

We are proposing a shift to a more transparent and reliable disclosure – increasing the trust consumers place in Great Britain’s electricity decarbonisation process and simultaneously accelerating investment into it – and will continue to drive for change into the new year. Download the executive summary to our position paper to find out more.

5. SmartestEnergy signs its first CPPA, helping large business on their net zero journey

We are thrilled to have signed our first Corporate Power Purchase Agreement (CPPA) in 2024 as a significant step toward helping businesses on their sustainability journey. 

With clear ambitions and targets to reach net zero, our new customer sought a supplier who could keep up with their high demand across over 3,500 sites, as well as accommodating not only pre-existing PPA contracts, but a growing portfolio of renewable generators. With significant scale across the UK, we are pleased to oversee the company’s entire net zero journey, from generator through to consumer.  

6. SmartestEnergy sponsors the Scottish Green Energy Awards for the 13th year running 

As proud sponsors of the UK's largest-ever celebration of green energy, we were delighted to come together once again to celebrate the inspirational people and projects making a difference in the energy industry.

Angus Widdowson, Head of Generation at SmartestEnergy, presented the Best Engagement award, which honours outstanding community, public, or stakeholder involvement in the development of renewable projects, and announced Statkraft as the winner for their outstanding work on the Loch na Cathrach project, showcasing exemplary community engagement.

7. SmartestEnergy issued over 4,000 renewable energy labels to UK C&I business sites to evidence zero-carbon emissions

This year we have issued renewable energy labels to over 4000 C&I business sites to showcase their zero-carbon electricity consumption, verified by the Carbon Trust, enabling our customers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability, streamline reporting processes, and enhance their brand reputation.

Through issuing these labels, we have supported our customers in leading the charge toward a greener future, whilst simplifying their sustainability journey and spearheading transparency across the energy sector.

8. SmartestEnergy strengthen a longstanding partnership with Blackfinch Energy 

We are pleased to further expand our partnership with Blackfinch with the signing of two new Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) for new solar projects: the 8.9MW Bryngolwg and the 24MW Horsey Levels solar farms. The latest pre-construction PPA deals bring the shared portfolio between Blackfinch and SmartestEnergy to a total capacity of 54MW across a range of solar and onshore wind projects, which is enough to supply over 30,000 homes annually with clean, green electricity.

Find out more about how we are paving the way for a faster transition to clean energy with Blackfinch in our latest case study.

9. SmartestEnergy achieves inspiring milestones with Ecologi across reforestation, carbon reduction and habitat restoration

Across the SmartestEnergy group, we’ve funded 39,716 trees, restored around 4.44 million m2 of habitat and directly funded the conservation of over 73,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest (reported, 10th December 2024). We’ve also avoided 316.22 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) and removed 12 tCO2e; to visualise the scale of the tCO2e avoided, it’s the equivalent to 243 long haul flights, 784,542 miles driven in a car or 949 m2 of sea ice saved.

Through our valued partnership, we’ve taken the fight to climate change directly and helped drive positive change at a global level. We're proud of the impact we've made with Ecologi to date and are committed to continuing our partnership into 2025 and beyond, setting even more ambitious goals for the future as we continue to build a more sustainable future for generations to come.

10. SmartestEnergy launched our brand new websites

To close off the year, we were thrilled to announce the launch of our new Global SmartestEnergy site, and dedicated sites for all our Group companies. With a fresh look, seamless user experience, streamlined navigation, and rich new content, finding the tools, insights, and resources our customers need to power their energy journey has never been easier.

As we step into the new year, we wish you a happy and healthy 2025 from the SmartestEnergy Team. We look forward to another year of collaboration, empowering the net zero transition, and celebrating new year of milestones in sustainability together!