£33,000
Saved per year
80
CO2 saved per year
Tonnes
200 kWp
System capacity
The Challenge
Midland Building Products has manufactured builders’ joinery from the Spartan Industrial Centre on Brickhouse Lane in West Bromwich since being incorporated in 1990. Joinery manufacturing runs on electricity: saws, machining and extraction, all through the working day across more than one building.
Every unit came from the grid at commercial rates. MBP wanted to bring down one of its biggest running costs and cut its carbon footprint, using the roof space it already had.
The Solution
Eden Sustainable designed and installed a 200 kWp rooftop solar PV system across two of MBP’s buildings on the site. MBP funded the project itself as a capital investment, so it owns both systems outright and keeps every pound of saving they produce.
Each building got a system designed around its own roof. The Rapidfit building carries 150 kWp, made up of 326 JA Solar 460W panels feeding a Solis 110kW inverter. Unit 26 carries 50 kWp on its low-pitch trapezoidal roof, feeding a Solis 36kW inverter. Eden managed the full project, from design and the grid connection with National Grid Electricity Distribution to installation and commissioning. Eden also looks after both systems under an operations and maintenance contract, keeping an eye on their performance over the long term.
The Outcome
The two systems now save MBP around £33,000 a year on electricity and avoid 80 tonnes of CO₂ annually. For a West Midlands manufacturer, that’s money back into the business and a measurable cut in the carbon behind every product that leaves the site.
Because the systems are self-funded, every unit generated on site is protected from future rises in grid prices.
“We’re considering more solar following the good experiences we’ve had.”
Daniel Finney, Operations Director