Soft drinks maker Britvic has switched to solar energy to meet three quarters of its electricity requirements in the UK.
Britvic is sourcing electricity from a 160-acre solar farm in Northamptonshire as part of a ten-year solar power agreement.
The site will supply electricity to factories in Rugby, London and Leeds, the Fruit Shoot maker added.
The solar site, which commenced operations on 1 February, will generate 3.3 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of power, which is equivalent to the energy requirements of around 11,500 homes.
The initiative will help the Robinsons maker cut more than 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions from its supply chain annually – or the equivalent of planting 260,000 trees.
Renewable Energy
Sarah Webster, Britvic’s director of sustainable business said, “This is an exciting opportunity to ensure that the some of the country’s most recognisable and much-loved soft drinks are powered by renewable energy.
“We know consumers want to buy more sustainable products, and this is another step towards reducing carbon emissions and our long-term sustainability targets.”
Britvic has teamed up with renewables provider Atrato Onsite Energy for the 650,000 square-metre solar installation, which aims to scale up to produce 27GWh.
This initiative is part of the company's long-term commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The project, located in former quarry that is unsuitable for farming, features double-sided solar panels that use tracking devices to follow the sun, increasing efficiency by 10%.
'Sustainability Targets'
Gurpreet Gujral, managing director of renewable energy at Atrato Group said, "Our business model is all about designing unique structures for clients tailored to their energy consumption needs and real estate site constraints, while delivering on sustainability targets and lower energy costs.”
Chris Bowden, managing director of Squeaky Clean Energy added, “The Squeaky team is incredibly proud to have scored another clean energy first with a unique power purchase agreement arrangement that enables Atrato to de-risk the financing of its project and Britvic to deliver on its Healthier People, Healthier Planet sustainability mission.”
