Ingenious Estate Planning (IEP), the discretionary fund service managed by Ingenious has, through its investee company Ingenious Renewables Energy Enterprises Limited (IREEL), closed an acquisition of two ground mounted solar PV plants in Derbyshire.  The plants have a total combined capacity of c. 8MW and were acquired from Solarig Italia Development s.r.l, the Spanish EPC contractor (Solarig).

This transaction is the first part of the planned acquisition of a wider portfolio from Solarig which is expected to be completed before the end of the current subsidy scheme.  The existing plants will benefit from 1.3 ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates) as they were connected before the end of March 2016.  The smaller plant, a 3MW installation, is located in Yeldersley, Derbyshire while the other 4.8MW project is nearby in Alfreton.  Both plants are equipped with tier-one Talesun Solar panels and Power Electronics inverters.

The two plants are expected to produce in excess of 7,700 MWh of green electricity per year; enough to power some 2,000 houses with a Co2 saving of more than 4,300 kg per year.

A third plant, also located in Derbyshire, is proposed to be acquired from Solarig by IREEL with a total installed capacity of 4.9MW is currently under construction and is proposed to be connected by August 2016 under the 1.2 ROCs scheme.

IREEL are also in discussions with Solarig in relation to the proposed acquisition of a further 4 ground mounted solar PV plants in the UK which are expected to be constructed and acquired before March 2017.  If these transactions proceed, this will bring the total ground mounted solar PV portfolio invested in by IEP to around 40MW in size.

SgurrEnergy assisted as technical advisor while Berwin Leighton Paisner acted as legal advisor for IREEL, with Addleshaw Goddard having acted as legal counsel for Solarig.

Solas Éireann, the Irish solar energy developer, today announced it has entered into a joint venture with market leading renewable energy specialist, Golden Square Energy (‘GSE’). Solas Éireann shall commit over €100 million to the development and construction of solar farms across Ireland, and has a current pipeline in excess of 250 MW. The venture marks a significant milestone for Solas Éireann as the company establishes itself as one of the largest developers of solar farms in Ireland.

Together the venture partners bring a wealth of experience to the business, having successfully developed and constructed over 400MW of solar farms across Europe. Through the partnership, Solas Éireann’s resource and capacity will be boosted by GSE’s team of over 35 sector specialists, who have already deployed over £150 million in similar projects across the UK.

Solas Éireann is extremely proud of its Irish heritage and we are excited to be partnering with GSE in our quest to bring solar energy to our country. The partnership will drive forward the development of the farms, as well as the creation of jobs in local communities.

Simon Maguire

Director at Solas Éireann

Solas Éireann is a true pioneer in this market and we are confident that our collective experience will go a long way in establishing solar power as a viable and sustainable energy source across Ireland

Jason Murphy

Director at GSE

We are delighted that Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell has won two Baftas at this year’s Television Craft Awards. The period drama, backed by Ingenious Broadcasting, took home trophies for Special, Visual & Graphic Effects and Production Design at the London ceremony on Sunday evening. 

The debut novel by British writer Susanna Clarke depicts an alternative history in which magic is widely acknowledged, but rarely practised. The series, which focuses on magician Mr Norrell (Eddie Marsan) and his apprentice Jonathan Strange (Bertie Carvel), investigates the nature of ‘Englishness’ and the boundaries between reason and unreason. 

The programme, which aired on BBC One in 2015, also received two further Bafta nominations as well as high praise from critics across the globe. 

Ingenious is pleased to have been involved in the production of Marcella, written by internationally renowned screenwriter and novelist Hans Rosenfeldt starring Anna Friel in the lead role.

Marcella follows a former fast-track Metropolitan Police detective, played by Anna Friel. She returns to the murder squad after 11 years, following a traumatic divorce, to find a notorious killer.

The new series also stars, Laura Carmichael, Nicholas Pinnock and Sinead Cusack.

Marcella was produced with the support of Ingenious Broadcasting. The 8 part series will air on Monday 4 April at 9pm.

We are delighted that Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell has won two Baftas at this year’s Television Craft Awards. The period drama, backed by Ingenious Broadcasting, took home trophies for Special, Visual & Graphic Effects and Production Design at the London ceremony on Sunday evening. 

The debut novel by British writer Susanna Clarke depicts an alternative history in which magic is widely acknowledged, but rarely practised. The series, which focuses on magician Mr Norrell (Eddie Marsan) and his apprentice Jonathan Strange (Bertie Carvel), investigates the nature of ‘Englishness’ and the boundaries between reason and unreason. 

The programme, which aired on BBC One in 2015, also received two further Bafta nominations as well as high praise from critics across the globe. 

Oxon Renewables Limited completes anaerobic digestion plant acquisition.

Oxon Renewables Limited, a renewable energy generation company backed by Ingenious Renewable Energy EIS 2014/15, has purchased the development rights to construct an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant on land at Manor Farm near Alderton.

The rights to develop the plant were acquired from Qila Energy LLP and the project consists of an AD plant that will digest approximately 30,000 tonnes of organic material each year. This will produce circa 3.0m cubic meters of natural gas per annum which will be fed into the local gas distribution network for onward consumption by local industry and households.

The gas-to-grid AD plant is expected to be operational in 2016 with predictable, index linked revenue streams which will include FITs and RHI rates.

Imran Sheikh led the deal for Ingenious.

Ingenious Renewable Energy Enterprises Limited, has purchased the development rights to construct an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant on land at Fairfields Farm, near Colchester.

The rights to develop the plant were acquired from Qila Energy LLP and the project consists of an AD plant that will digest approximately 30,000 tonnes of organic material each year. This will produce circa 3.0m cubic meters of natural gas per annum which will be fed into the local gas distribution network for onward consumption by local industry and households.

The gas-to-grid AD plant is expected to be operational in 2016 with predictable, index linked revenue streams which will include FITs and RHI rates.

Imran Sheikh led the deal for Ingenious.

We are absolutely delighted that Brooklyn, backed by our Shelley Media fund, has won the coveted Outstanding British Film award at last night’s BAFTAs. The film won the category competing against Amy, 45 Years, The Danish Girl, The Lobster and Ex Machina. The award was presented by Idris Elba and Kate Winslet.

Set in nineteen-fifties Ireland and New York, Brooklyn tells the story of young Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), an Irish girl who, lured by the promise of the USA, leaves behind her family to start a new life in New York. The film was adapted by Nick Hornby from the 2009 award-winning novel by Colm Tóibín. Speaking at last night’s ceremony, Hornby said that getting Brooklyn to the big screen was not easy:

‘This film was really, really hard to put together… it took five years to get to production because no one would fund us. You have to sort of pinch yourself really to think that it’s made it all the way through to this.’

Brooklyn has also been nominated for best picture in this year’s Oscars.

The Broadcast Awards took place this week and we are delighted that three productions backed by Ingenious have been recognised. Tasked with rewarding the UK’s most successful television content, creators and channels, the prestigious awards ceremony is one of the most hotly anticipated events in the television sector and is attended by British television’s most influential people, who come together to celebrate the best of the industry.

Dr Foster, backed by the Ingenious Estate Planning service, won best drama series, with Clangers and So Awkward (both backed by Ingenious Broadcasting) winning best pre-school programme and best children’s programme. Judged by some of the industry’s biggest names, the awards cover key genres and reward creativity, quality and originality.

Ingenious Real Estate, a division of Ingenious, is delighted to announce the appointment of Peritus Corporate Finance as a new commercial partner for its real estate lending business.

As part of the arrangement, Dean Brown will join Peritus as Head of Origination and will work closely with Ingenious on a range of initiatives, particularly on the continued expansion of Ingenious’ residential lending platform.

Neil Forster, Ingenious CEO, commented: “This new partnership represents another important step by Ingenious in expanding our real estate activities. We have been impressed by Peritus’ vision and deal-making skills and look forward to working with Dean and the rest of the team in what promises to be an exciting year.”

Peritus brings an experienced team of 14 people covering a range of real estate advisory and origination services. In 2015, Peritus completed transactions worth over £450 million and expects to significantly increase activities in 2016.

Ingenious Real Estate invests in and arranges finance for real estate projects across a range of strategies through direct acquisitions, joint ventures, co-investment and managed funds. Its investment and operating philosophy focuses on non-mainstream opportunities with the potential to deliver particularly attractive risk-adjusted returns through expert execution and management.