The solar panel system here at GW Martin has been running for 11 years!

Our busy factory uses a lot of electricity, so we’ve always been keen to explore ways in which we could reduce our impact on the environment. When taking into account our large roof area, it seemed a no brainer to make the most of this space, so we decided to install a 150kW Solar PV system back in 2013.

Since then, the results have been brilliant…

Over the last 11 years, we’ve generated 1.2 million kWh of power. This is equivalent to saving 470 tonnes in CO2 emissions, or planting 14,000 trees.

Most of the power generated has been used right here at our factory in Eastleigh, Hampshire to help us make over 10 million precision machined components. And what we haven’t used has been exported back to the grid. In fact, the 300,000 kWh that we’ve exported is enough to fuel making around 5 million cups of tea for British manufacturers!

Coupling our solar power system with other energy saving initiatives such as air source heating and LED lighting, we have been able to dramatically reduce our energy usage and carbon footprint. All of this helps us to provide a sustainable supply of machined parts for our customers and, in turn, supports our ISO14001 accreditation too.