M&S install UK’s largest solar panels
The major British multinational retailer aims to reduce 48,000 tonnes of GHG's in 20 years
Marks & Spencer has set a new record for the solar industry with the UK's largest single roof-mounted solar installation at its East Midlands distribution centre in Castle Donington.
The Marks and Spencer’s retailer in the East Midlands has installed a total of 24,272 solar panels across its 900,000 square foot roof.
The site that can hold up to 11 full-sized football pitches are expecting for the new panels to deliver more than 5,000MWh of electricity a year and a sufficient amount to distribute approximately a quarter of the facilities power, which is equivalent to the amount used by 1,190 homes.
According to M&S’ high profile Plan A sustainability programme they are anticipating to reduce carbon emissions by 48,000 tonnes over a period of the next 20 years.
Director of property at M&S, Hugo Adams said the project represented the first in a series of new solar installations across the company's estate as it seeks to meet its target of sourcing 100 per cent of its electricity for UK and Ireland buildings from renewable sources by 2020, with half coming from small-scale renewable projects.
He said: "The scale of the project demonstrates our ambitious goals and long-term commitment to onsite renewable energy”.
The Energy and Climate Change Minister Amber Rudd who recently moved to reduce subsidies for ground-mounted solar farms welcomed the project while encouraging solar industries to focus on rooftop installations.
Rudd said: "There is massive potential to turn our large buildings into power stations – and this is a great example of how businesses can reap the benefits. More rooftop solar means more jobs – and will also help deliver the clean, reliable energy supplies that the country needs at the lowest possible cost to consumers".
Marks and Spencer inked a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Amber Infrastructure which funded, installed and supplied the 6.1MW solar initiative as a commitment to purchase all the electricity generated by the solar panels over the next 20 years.
PPA’s are proving to act as popular financing mechanisms for solar installations as they permit companies to fit solar panels at no upfront cost and access competitive energy prices.
