Yearsley spends £2.2m on solar to keep cool

COLD storage logistics specialist Yearsley Group has installed two huge banks of solar panels at its Heywood base and at its depot at Holmewood near Chesterfield.

In total, the firm has spent £2.2m installing more than 54,000 sq ft of photovoltaic panels – 27,000 sq ft at each unit. The systems are among the largest roof-mounted solar installations in the UK.

Each one should generate around 310,000 kilowatt hours per annum, thereby saving upwards of 170 tons of CO2 per warehouse, and reducing the Group’s reliance on the national grid. It is estimated they will provide each of the cold stores with up to 10% of their annual electricity requirements.

The company said the investment is part of an ongoing strategy to increase the energy it obtains from renewable sources by 2015, in line with ots commitment to carbon reduction and sustainable sourcing.

It plans to install renewable solutions (either solar or wind power) at other depots around the UK.

Harry Yearsley, managing director of Yearsley Group, said: “Sustainability is high on our agenda and the reduction of carbon emissions is key in terms of our warehouse operation and in regards to transportation.

“We have already implemented new management systems for reducing waste road miles and updated many of the cold stores with state-of-the-art insulation, but we knew we could do more and began to investigate renewable.

“Cold storage by its nature requires a large energy input and, with fuel prices increasing on an almost daily basis, any measures we could employ to create our own electricity would be welcome. Solar PV panels were the natural solution for the group as it makes sense to use the large exposed surface area of the warehouses to generate sustainable electricity.”

The panels have been installed by Bury-based Solar Choice.

Ajay Hargreaves, sales director for Solar Choice, added: “Renewables, in particular solar power, are becoming more popular in response to increasing fuel costs and a rising public concern about energy reduction and carbon emissions.”

“Yearsley Group has made a major investment and cleverly made use of its existing assets to create green energy to help power its own operations. These are by far the largest roof mounted installations we have ever done, and will be one of the biggest in the UK, producing an enormous amount of electricity in a clean and sustainable way.”