The solar arrays should cut Greggs’ CO2 emissions by 600 tonnes per year, as well as helping the company reduce its carbon footprint by 25 per cent by 2015.
Explaining the decision, Stephen Weldon, social responsibility manager at Greggs, said: “As a responsible business, we have a duty to manage our energy consumption by becoming more energy efficient in our bakery and retail operations. The installation of PV panels on our bakery roofs provided the perfect opportunity to make use of a previously unused resource (roof space), take advantage of the government’s Feed-In Tariff scheme and generate carbon-neutral electricity for use in the bakeries and, therefore, reduce the amount of fossil fuel we need to buy and consume.”
Trina Solar’s UK sales manager, Richard Rushin, said: “In a market where there is now a level playing field on price, the way to differentiate yourself as a PV manufacturer is by the quality of the products and services you provide. At Trina Solar, we want to make the selection process as simple as possible by standing out from the crowd in this respect, which is why we are firmly committed to ensuring that our products not only meet but significantly exceed the minimum standards required by TUV and IEC.”