Eskimo Ice are an ice manufacturing business based in Crawley. They have been manufacturing and distributing packaged ice across the UK and Northern Europe since 1978.
They operate in a 16,000 sq.ft commercial property and with very high energy consumption as the business runs freezers and equipment in a 24hr operation.
Eskimo Ice received a grant of £25,000 through the Community Solar Accelerator Programme.
They used the whole roof to install a 190 kW solar panel system with over 500 panels, expecting to generate at least 170,000 kWh per year.
The production of ice is an energy intensive process. Therefore, installing solar panels brings financial, environmental, and publicity benefits.
The financial savings are significant at around £50k per annum. As summer is their busiest time of year, the energy production from solar will be fully used. This will help reduce emissions.
Eskimo Ice are conscious about using fewer fossil fuels, particularly gas which naturally benefits the whole world environmentally.
The installation of solar panels projects a positive picture to customers both current and prospective as well as suppliers.
“Consumers, particularly the younger generation, care what companies are doing to look after the environment. It is important for us as an energy intensive company to make a difference where we can to reduce our consumption.”, Harrison Marks (Finance Director)
Solar Impact in Numbers
Size or Solar PV array: 191.99 kWp
Predicted production of electricity: 170,000 kWh per year
Predicted cost savings: £50,000 per year
Return on Investment: 2.6 years
Grant Amount Received: £25,000
Expected lifetime of the solar PV system: 25-30 years
Carbon Reduction: 59.3 tonnes CO2e* per year
Date of install: Feb 2023
*CO2e calculated with conversion factor of 0.35156kg CO2e/kWh as confirmed with the managing authority.
