Manchester-based contractor, Styles&Wood has completed two solar PV arrays for The Fire Fighters Charity at its rehabilitation centres in Penrith and Littlehampton.

The two solar arrays are predicted to slash the charity's annual carbon emissions by 42 tonnes. The PV installation at Penrith is estimated to produce 35,350kWh of renewable electricity every year, and the Littlehampton install is expected to generate 35,786kWh.

Styles&Wood was charged with all aspects of the solar makeover, ranging from applying for planning permission, designing the solar arrays, to carrying out the installation including remedial roof works.

Ian Dunning, head of energy at Styles&Wood, noted that “solar power is becoming an increasingly popular investment” in the UK. Dunning said that the technology's popularity was rising “not just because of its green credentials but its impact on energy bills too”.

Commenting on the specific challenges the installation company faced during the works, Dunning said: “Each project needed to be completed in under two weeks and the sites had to remain live throughout the work. This did pose certain challenges, but in working collaboratively with the charity and through good communication we successfully completed both projects on time and within budget.”

The two solar arrays follow the installation of 208 solar modules on the charity’s rehabilitation centre in Devon in 2012, which helps provide one quarter of the centre’s electricity needs.