Church End Brewery in Nuneaton is now using solar to help power its operation thanks to the completion of a 15kWp array by the TGE Group.
The award-winning brewery decided to install solar after escalating energy costs began to represent a significant amount of the brewery’s production costs. Stewart Elliott of Church End Brewery, explained the company’s move to adopt PV, he said: “The cost of energy has increased dramatically over the last few years and is now one of our greatest business expenses. By simply making better use of our available roof space we can now generate our own electricity and make some considerable savings.”
The 15kWp solar array on the brewery’s roof is predicted to generate approximately 12MWh of energy every year, slashing over £1,000 off the brewery’s annual energy costs. TGE Group estimates that the brewery will make a 15% return on its investment thanks to the 20-year income from the feed-in tariff.
Stephen Davies, director of TGE Group, added: “Church End Brewery is an ideal candidate for solar PV, where previously unused roof space in now being utilised to generate ‘free power’ for use on site. The system will help reduce the brewery’s bills and provide an income from the feed-in-tariff that’s paid to those who generate their own power.”
Earlier this year, TGE Group agreed a financing deal with Macquarie to supply and install solar on commercial buildings. The deal was described as one of the largest of its kind in the UK, with as much as £100 million available from the investment firm to complete commercial installations across the UK.