Member Article

Green growth as Durham’s Bignall Group invests in solar

Durham-based Bignall Group has announced the success of a progressive investment project, which saw the installation of one of the country’s largest solar photo-voltaic energy systems.

Following an in-depth case study into sustainable power and energy efficiency measures across the group of companies, the manufacturing and engineering group has looked to the future with an option that provided power generation, cost savings and lowered environmental impacts.

Chris Hutchinson, general manager at the group, stated: “The company completed a study into various methods of energy efficiency, including solar energy, some years ago, but the investment didn’t appear to be cost-effective.

“With first class mentoring and support from Malcolm Potter of Tadea UK, we were able to reassess using the latest technology and information available.”

The Solar system consists of a 150 kilowatt photo-voltaic array, made up of more than 620 solar modules, and covers approximately 12,000 square feet of roof space at the group’s Shildon engineering factory.

One of only a few of its size in the country, the installation is already proving hugely successful in both ‘green energy’ production and bringing down expenditure.

Group director John Bignall commented: “This shows our customers that we’re investing in the long term future of the company and effectively keeping our energy costs down, which is good for our clients too.”

Mr Bignall continued: “Hardware costs have come down significantly and electricity prices are predicted to rise, so now the figures all add up. It’s excellent for us and a positive statement to our clients. The installation has now been in operation for more than a year and has generated over 211,000 kWh and has exported over 89,000 kWh.”

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