Lancashire business gets boost from Northern Powerhouse fund
Lancashire-based renewable energy business RenewWeCare has received a £100,000 loan to fund a new project.
The funding has come from BFS & MSIF Microfinance – part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
ReneWeCare is a family business which has developed the world’s first commercial solar module access system.
The system allows safe access and zero pressure to the glass of various solar module arrays; a first for the renewable energy industry.
Eric Couling, director at RenewWeCare, has worked in the renewable energy sector for over 10 years and during this time experienced the issues and dangers in maintaining solar panels.
Walking on the panels often leads to damage and also injury to the operative, due to the slippery and inclined surfaces.
Eric alongside his three sons have spent the last two years on developing a solution.
This led to the creation of a solar module access frame, which provides a safe working environment and applies minimal pressure to the glass of the solar panels.
RenewWeCare’s solar module access frame keeps glass fractures to a minimum, provides a much safer working environment and also allows solar panels to be replaced three times faster.
The funding is being used for the initial product manufacturing and for marketing.
Eric Couling said: “The comments we have received from Health & Safety Managers to Area Managers and all the way up to Directors at various photovoltaic companies has been amazing.
“We think we have a great solution but without MSIF we would not be in a position to make the solar industry a safer place and stop unnecessary damage being caused by engineers being forced to walk on the glass modules.
Paul Humphray, MSIF Investment Director, said: “The product the Couling family has created is great.
“It is the only product of its kind in the world and a great achievement in improving the health and safety of the solar panel industry.”
Sue Barnard, Senior Relationship Manager at British Business Bank, said: “We are pleased that NPIF through MSIF is providing RenewWeCare with the funding needed to bring its innovative access solution to the solar panel market.”
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund.
