Ashtead Engineering Ltd are precision engineers who offer both CNC and conventional machining services, toolmaking and injection moulding to a wide range of industries including Aerospace, Defence, Marine and Automotive.
Ashtead Engineering Ltd received a £25k grant from the Community Solar Accelerator scheme towards the installation of a 118kW grid tied solar PV array.
This was installed on the newly insulated profile sheet roof of their warehouse and is estimated to produce 100,000kWh electricity every year.
“The solar installation should provide 38% of the required energy needs of the business. This will have a hugely beneficial environmental and economic effect. In turn, this should really help set an example of how modern British manufacturing can maintain sustainability in a changing global economy and lead the way towards a sustainable future.” Matt Parry, Director
The annual cost savings will be around £14,800 based on their unit rate of electricity. However, the forecasted electricity rate that comes with the contract renewal by the end of the year is circa 3x the current rate. This will translate to an even greater annual cost savings from the solar installation bringing down the payback time to 2-3 years.
Solar Impact in Numbers
Size or Solar PV array: 118 kWp
Predicted production of electricity: 100,000 kWh per year
Predicted cost savings: £14,800 in the first year, this will increase significantly (predicted to triple) with the contract renewal.
Return on Investment: 2-3 years
Grant Amount Receive-d: £25,000
Expected lifetime of the solar PV system: 25-30 years
Carbon Reduction: 33.4 tonnes CO2e* per year
Date of install: Oct 2022
*CO2e calculated with conversion factor of 0.35156kg CO2e/kWh as confirmed with the managing authority.
