A WAREHOUSING and logistics company in Wrexham has completed the installation of 1,000 solar panels as part of a programme of eco-upgrades.

The £520k+ investment by F Lloyd (Penley) into solar energy will generate almost half a megawatt per year of clean renewable energy, supplying electricity to the whole site on Bridge Road South at Wrexham Industrial Estate, and see it meet its net zero target by 2030. Excess power will be sent back to the National Grid for use by surrounding businesses.

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In addition to the solar panel installation, the warehouse and logistics provider is seeking to electrify all heavy goods vehicles and forklift machinery, reduce reliance on oil for heating and hot water and adopt a zero-to-landfill policy.

The solar project started in July with scaffolding assembled ahead of the delivery of 956 430kWp solar panels, which themselves took two weeks to install.

The mounting of four inverter devices, one of the most important features of a solar energy system, will see the 'Direct Current' electricity generated by the panels converted to 'Alternating Current' electricity which can be used by the Grid.

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F Lloyd (Penley) is the dedicated warehousing, storage and logistics solutions provider for property giant, FI Real Estate Management (FIREM).

Tim Knowles, founder and managing director of FIREM, said: "Mitigating the impact of climate change is absolutely critical and businesses like ours need to act now. We understand the role we can play in helping the UK transition to a net zero economy which is why we have implemented a long-term sustainability programme, commencing with the adoption of solar energy."

Phil Walsh, general manager at F Lloyd (Penley), added: "We've now installed almost 1,000 solar panels across the apex of our building which will generate approximately 500k kW of electricity every year. Not only will this benefit us across our entire Wrexham operation but we'll also be supplying nearby businesses with clean renewable energy via the National Grid."