Milton Keynes-based Renewable Resources has announced the completion of 115 solar arrays across the roofs of several Sainsbury’s stores in the South of England, producing a total 6.9MW of solar capacity for the supermarket chain.
The supermarket giant’s wide adoption of solar PV technology has been driven by its 20 by 20 Sustainability Plan. The plan aims to reduce the company’s carbon emissions and provide a sustainable solution for the supermarket’s long-term energy security. The performance of solar PV technology lent itself perfectly to these applications, generating clean, renewable energy as well as securing an income for the company over the next 25 years.
The ambitious solar rooftop scheme saw selected Sainsbury’s stores in South East and South West England receive either a 50 or 150kWp system.
“This project secured Renewable Resources’ position as the largest UK solar PV installer for commercial rooftops in 2011, while also demonstrating our ability to work on a tight schedule,” said Paul Gribben, Chief Executive, Renewable Resources. “The main challenge of this project was to meet strict Feed-In Tariff deadlines. Our committed team of expert engineers and strong partnerships with key roofing membrane and solar PV panel suppliers allowed us to install a typical 50 kW system in less than three days – just half of the market average time”.
The supermarket giant’s solar scheme is expected to produce enough electricity to power 2,000 average homes a year, offsetting over 3,000 tonnes of CO2 in the process.
Renewable Resources will be demonstrating its portfolio of energy solutions at this year’s Ecobuild at stand N810. Don’t forget to come along to stand N3705 and meet the team behind Solar Power Portal.
