Grundon MRF goes green after installation of solar panels

Grundon Waste Management were already aware of both the environmental and economic benefits that solar power can bring. Earlier this year the iconic curved roof of its Lakeside Energy from Waste (EfW) facility – joint venture between Grundon and Viridor – saw the installation of 1,000 solar photovoltaic panels. Following the success of the fitting of the solar panels at Lakeside EfW, Grundon approached BELECTRIC UK, to develop a system at the nearby Colnbrook Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).

An aerial view of Grundon’s Materials Recovery Facility in Colnbrook
with the solar panels visible on the roof

BELECTRIC UK, whose Iver head office is just five miles from the facility, are a world market leader in the development, engineering, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of large scale solar energy projects.

Grundon met with BELECTRIC UK and went through the financials before they designed the most appropriate system for targeting the energy demand onsite. This was followed up with technical surveys and the securing of necessary grid connection permissions. Working in partnership BELECTRIC successfully planned the installation around the operations on the busy site, which included constant heavy goods vehicle traffic and strict on-site operational hours.

The system will generate 212,000 kWh of sustainable energy a year, delivering a total carbon saving of 126 tonnes a year. It is estimated that the system will also provide estimated revenue and savings in the region of £41,000 per year.

Speaking about the completion of the installation, Andrew Short, estates director at Grundon said:
‘At Grundon, we are continuously trying to improve our environmental performance and operating efficiencies – particularly the amount of energy we use and generate. Following on from the installation of the solar photovoltaic panels at our Lakeside Energy from Waste facility, we are delighted to have followed on with the addition of panels to our Colnbrook MRF facility. The solar PV system will not only prove to be profitable, with anticipated revenue and savings, but will also help us to further reduce our carbon footprint.’

Paul Edis, project development manager at for BELECTRIC UK added:
‘Grundon and BELECTRIC UK are a perfect partnership – both are environmentally conscience, service-focused businesses who are well respected in their industries. So when Grundon appointed BELECTRIC UK to install a 250 kWp system on their Lakeside EfW facility, it was the start of a strong relationship.

‘Following our successful project delivery of the Lakeside EfW project, BELECTRIC UK took immense pride in being selected again to work with Grundon at the Colnbrook MRF facility to deliver its second 250 kWp rooftop project, where we designed and constructed a solar PV system of 960 panels and 12 inverters. The panels were mounted on a bespoke structure manufactured in-house, and construction was carried out without disruption to Grundon’s site operation. Waste management sites are ideal for solar power, as they usually have the roof space for large-scale installations, and the panels produce electricity during daytime peak demand.’