Firetoys is a supplier of high-quality UK made circus equipment and Juggling props in the UK and EU and established in London in 1999. They moved to Brighton in 2003 to expand their manufacturing facility and distribution centre, and they are now based in their own 10,000 sq ft warehouse in Shoreham-by-Sea. Being an eco-conscious company, they were looking to utilise their East/West-facing roof space for Solar PV and using the generated electricity for electric vehicle (EV) charging as well.
Firetoys received a £11,000 Community Solar Accelerator grant for their Solar PV and a smart EV charger project. They installed a 30 kW Solar PV array with over 70 panels on the East/West sloping roof. The expected annual generation from this system is 27,528 kWh.
Firetoys also installed one Myenergi Zappi 7kW smart charger on the front of the building. This unit can be set to only charge EVs when the solar panels are generating excess electricity. The building is staffed every weekday and several staff commute daily in electric vehicles. The Solar and EV charger will lower their electricity consumption and improve their carbon footprint.
The expected annual savings are around £5,000 per year in reduced electricity costs and export payments. Additionally, Firetoys will be able to publicise their environmental credentials to their customer base, who they know are climate conscious and keen to act to avert the current climate crisis.
Solar Impact in Numbers
Size or Solar PV array: 30 kWp
Predicted production of electricity: 27.500 kWh per year
Predicted cost savings: £5,000 in the first year – this is expected to increase in the following years with increased cost per kWh of electricity.
Return on Investment: 3-4 years
Grant Amount Received: £ 11,000
Expected lifetime of the solar PV system: 25-30 years
Carbon Reduction: 9.7 tonnes CO2e* per year
Date of install: Jan 2023
*CO2e calculated with conversion factor of 0.35156kg CO2e/kWh as confirmed with the managing authority.
Electric Forklift
