History timeline
Downing have been at the forefront of energy development and investment for over a decade
2010
November 2010
First solar construction asset investment
A significant investment to fund construction of a large rooftop solar project which qualified under the ‘Feed-in Tariff’ regime. Our capital funded the cost of constructing and operating the project and the occupiers of the property received free electricity generated by the solar panels.
November 2010
First wind construction asset investment
A capital investment into a business developing small scale wind farms in the UK with over 100 pipeline sites. We subsequently made further capital investments to fund the construction of these wind farms.
2011 - 2014
40
solar construction asset investments
2015
March 2015
Seven Scottish Hydro construction asset investments to date
From December 2013 onwards, we funded the development and construction of seven run-of-river hydropower projects in the northern and western parts of Scotland. In total the projects had a capacity of almost 8 MW.
2016
2017
2018
February 2018
First battery investment during construction
This innovative project was the first large scale battery to be directly connected to the National Grid’s transmission network. It is envisaged that in the future the grid connection for the project can be further utilised for a private wire network that would support low carbon transport.
February 2018
First transmission connected battery development
Acquisition of the development rights for a 50MW transmission connected energy storage project in Southampton, UK. At the time this was one of the largest battery projects in the UK.
2019
2020
2021
June 2021
Development and construction of five ground-mounted solar parks with Northumbrian Water Limited
The commencement of the development and construction of a portfolio of five ground-mounted solar parks providing power directly to water treatment plants owned by Northumbrian Water Limited (“NWL”), a UK regulated water utility.
October 2021
Construction of first Norwegian hydropower plant
The funding of our first Norwegian hydropower construction project, Lauvstad, located in the Drangedal region in southern Norway. This run-of-river small hydropower plant is forecast to produce around 5.6 GWh of renewable energy.
2022
January 2022
Construction of second Norwegian hydropower plant
The funding of our second Norwegian hydropower construction project, Kvaevebekken, located in the Kviteseid region in southern Norway. This run-of-river small hydropower plant is forecast to produce around 5.4 GWh of renewable energy.
June 2022
Development and construction of 12 ground mounted solar parks with Southern Water
We will invest approximately £12 million over two years to develop and construct these projects, which are designed to generate a total of 8.4 GWh annually. This renewable electricity is provided directly to Southern Water’s water treatment plants.
2022
August 2022
Development and construction of 28 ground mounted solar parks with Yorkshire Water
Downing was selected by Yorkshire Water to develop, design, build and operate a portfolio of 28 solar sites across Yorkshire. The first phase of solar deployments represents an investment of approximately £25 million and will have a total capacity of around 21MW.
Construction of the sites commences in Q4 2023. All the electricity generated by the solar panels will be consumed on-site by Yorkshire Water, directly contributing to its 2030 net zero pledge.
August 2022
Construction of a 30MWp Finnish onshore wind project
Downing’s first investment in Finland, this wind farm is located near Soini in the region of Southern Ostrobothnia and reached construction completion in August 2022. It produces enough electricity to power the equivalent of c.37,000 UK homes a year.
Q4 2022
Construction completion of first Norwegian hydropower project and construction of third project
Our first construction project in Norway (Lauvstad) was completed on time and to budget and the third project in our Norwegian construction programme commenced. This project, Skjeggfoss, is also located in the Drangedal region of southern Norway.
December 2022
Construction completed for first water utility private wire PPA assets
Construction completed on the last of five ground-mounted solar sites. These projects will contribute significantly to NWL’s net-zero target for 2027, supporting its commitment to reducing emissions and advancing its renewable energy program.
2023
2023
Construction continues across our UK ground mounted and rooftop solar portfolio
Downing has a significant pipeline of solar pv projects in the UK which are currently in development or under construction. The portfolio consists of both ground mount and rooftop solar assets.
H2 2023
Construction of fourth Norwegian hydropower project
Our second construction project in Norway (Kvaevebekken) was completed on time and to budget and the fourth project in our Norwegian construction programme commenced. This project, Haugsvaer, is also located in the Drangedal region of southern Norway.