Solivus helps convert sunlight into savings in major warehouse project

In continuing in its mission to decarbonise the built environment, lightweight commercial solar pioneer Solivus recently completed a major warehouse installation for Astute Electronics.

As one of the world’s leading electronics distribution, procurement and supply-chain experts, Astute Electronics serves major customers across defence, aerospace, maritime, energy, and industrial sectors. As a Planet Mark accredited business with a progressive sustainability programme, there was a demand to leverage the significant clean energy generation opportunity afforded by its 1,524 square metre warehouse’s rooftop at its UK HQ in Hertfordshire.

In common with most commercial premises, however, previous surveys had revealed that the standard metal-sheeted warehouse rooftop was not structurally capable of supporting the weight of conventional solar panels.

Fortunately, Solivus had the answer with its ultra-lightweight commercial solar system. Leveraging the latest advances in technology, Solivus’ rooftop solar solutions are a fraction of the weight of conventional panels, avoiding structural issues, planning restriction challenges, or compromised aesthetics. Importantly, it also affords more universal applications for fixing methods, helping to alleviate the challenges associated with installing rigid conventional solar panels on the corrugated roofs found amongst most warehouses – most notably avoiding the need to penetrate the roof.

Working in close partnership with Astute’s team, Solivus was able to deliver a simple, fast and complete end-to-end solution; from system design and planning through to finance, installation and ongoing maintenance.

Now complete, the installation has seen over 360 solar panels mounted on, the rooftop, resulting in a total installed capacity of 154.8 KwP and a declared net capacity of 110KwP.

The installation is set to generate approximately 30% of Astute Electronics’ current demand and has the potential to convert sunlight into hundreds of thousands of pounds in energy cost savings over the project lifetime. It will also propel the business one step closer towards its net-zero goals, significantly reducing fossil fuel reliance and environmental impact[LG1] [EB2] . The installation is estimated to save just over 20 tonnes of carbon per year, and approximately 469 tonnes of carbon over its lifetime.

As a further big benefit, Solivus’ solar solution, being incredibly fast and easy to install thanks to its light and flexible properties, negated the need for any costly disruption so the busy warehouse could continue to operate ‘business as usual’ internally during the install.

Mark Shanley, Sales and Marketing Director at Astute Electronics, comments: “Astute has a knack for working with cutting-edge products. We were impressed by Solivus and their innovative, lightweight systems, which can be fitted to the roof of our warehouse; space we previously thought was unusable. With Astute’s focus on energy independence and net zero focus, we’re looking forward to reaping both environmental and sustainability benefits over the next five years and beyond.”

Interestingly, this comes as a recent analysis estimates that unused rooftops on UK warehouses total 165 million m2, the equivalent of 30,834 football fields, with a potential solar capacity of around 25GWp.¹

Solivus CEO, Jo Parker-Swift says: “We are incredibly proud of this project. It will support Astute in not only saving significant amounts in energy bill reductions, but ensure energy availability and enhance carbon reduction efforts.

Looking to the wider warehouse and distribution sector, our hope is that this project will also provide a tangible demonstration of the vast sustainability and cost-saving benefits to be had by embracing the clean energy transition in the commercial building market.

There are over 420,000 warehouses in the UK², meaning billions of square feet of rooftop space ideal for hosting panels. If fully utilised these spaces could not only produce much of the sector’s electricity use but create new revenue opportunities through trading. Amid the increasing viability of onsite renewable energy and the sheer scale of untapped rooftop space in the sector, there is a clear first-mover advantage for those that do.”

Chief Executive of the UK Warehousing Association, Clare Bottle says: “Since the publication of our landmark report in 2022, UKWA has been consistently campaigning for the sector to embrace rooftop solar power, so it is fantastic to see Astute Electronics leading the way with the completion of this significant solar power installation by Solivus.

Warehouses account for a third of UK commercial roof space, yet currently only 5% of warehouses have solar panels on their rooftops. If more companies follow in these footsteps, there is an opportunity for the warehousing sector to reduce emissions by 2 million tonnes of CO2 per year, deliver annual savings on electricity costs of up to £3bn, and contribute half of the solar power required by the whole of the UK to achieve net zero targets.”

For further information please visit: https://www.solivus.com/