One of North East Lincolnshire’s most energy efficient buildings has taken energy saving to an even higher level by turning to solar PV power.
Harvest House, situated on the Genesis Office Park, part of Europarc, near Grimsby, is the aptly named UK headquarters of Yara UK Limited, part of the global fertiliser firm, Yara International ASA.
The premises already benefit from a number of built-in energy-saving measures, including solar water heating, sensor controlled lighting, a rainwater harvesting system and smart metering, but the business park owners, the Hull-based Wykeland Group, have invested in a solar PV (photovoltaic) installation that will slice a further £5,000 off the company’s annual electricity bill.
The installation, consisting of 208 panels producing 45,529 kWh, was completed by Driffield renewable specialists, Dodds Limited.
Yara’s environment and technical services manager, Richard Meddings, said: “Following an approach by Wykeland, we saw the potential benefits, mainly cost-savings and working more with renewables to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, so this was a fairly easy decision for us.
“Yara estimate savings in the region of 25 to 30 per cent on energy drawn directly from the National Grid as a result of the installation”.
He added: “About 4,000 businesses in the UK have installed solar PV so it’s interesting to see this low carbon transition in such a short time. Many of our customers, mostly farmers, have invested in similar installations. “Yara is committed to minimising the impact of its activities on the environment, by reducing its carbon footprint and improving energy efficiency. The energy used in buildings is often an area of low-hanging fruit that can easily be tackled”.
Graham Aitchison, architect at the Wykeland Group, said: “Wykeland has always been a forward-thinking, pro-active landlord, and in the past year we have commissioned the installation of nearly 1,000 solar panels on various sites in the Humber region as part of our drive towards providing sustainable commercial developments”.
Dodds, based at the Kelleythorpe Industrial Estate at Driffield, are one of the leading renewable specialists in the Yorkshire and Humber region, having installed around 4,000 panels per month over the past year on houses, offices, large commercial premises and agricultural buildings.
Yara UK is part of Yara International, a global company specialising in plant nutrition and industrial solutions and is the world’s largest supplier of mineral fertiliser.
