Project Overview
Energy Gain was appointed to design and install a 2,139kWp commercial rooftop solar PV system across two buildings at CNC Speedwell’s manufacturing facility in Brownhills, West Midlands.
The project comprises 4,399 solar panels installed across CNC 1 and CNC 3, creating a large-scale renewable energy system designed to generate electricity directly at the point of use.
CNC Speedwell is a specialist machining and assembly business and part of the Castings PLC Group. The company manufactures cast iron, aluminium and steel components for the commercial vehicle and automotive industries, operating a highly automated manufacturing environment with extensive machining, washing, assembly and finishing capabilities.
With CNC Speedwell operating a three-shift production system and a large machine park across its Brownhills site, the facility has significant ongoing electricity requirements. The scale and operational profile of the site made it well suited to a large commercial solar PV installation, allowing renewable electricity to be generated on-site alongside ongoing manufacturing operations.
The completed installation is expected to generate 1,673.22 MWh of electricity each year, helping CNC Speedwell reduce its reliance on electricity from the grid while supporting its wider environmental objectives.
Over the system’s projected lifetime, the installation is forecast to generate 39,238.04 MWh of renewable electricity and deliver estimated total CO₂ savings of 7,504 tonnes
The Challenge
Delivering a 2.139MWp solar PV system across an operational manufacturing site presented a number of engineering, safety and installation considerations.
The project required Energy Gain to coordinate the installation across two separate buildings while considering the requirements of an active manufacturing environment, the scale of the electrical installation and the fire-safety requirements associated with a large rooftop PV system.
Installing Solar Across Two Manufacturing Buildings
The project covered both CNC 1 and CNC 3, requiring the solar PV system to be designed around the characteristics and available roof space of each building.
The system design needed to consider the individual roof areas, electrical infrastructure, equipment locations, access requirements and cable routes associated with each part of the site.
This allowed the available roof space across the two buildings to be utilised effectively while maintaining appropriate access for ongoing operation and maintenance.
Working Within an Operational Manufacturing Site
CNC Speedwell operates a large, highly equipped manufacturing facility, with more than 350 employees and 127 CNC machines across its two machine shops. Production operates on a three-shift system, making careful coordination essential throughout the project.
Installation activities therefore had to be planned around an active industrial environment, with consideration given to site access, workforce movements, deliveries, lifting operations and the ongoing requirements of the manufacturing facility.
The installation needed to be delivered safely while allowing CNC Speedwell to continue its manufacturing activities.
Large-Scale Rooftop Solar Design
A system of more than 2MWp requires detailed engineering to make effective use of the available roof area while ensuring that the installation can operate safely and efficiently over its lifetime.
The design needed to consider the positioning of 4,399 panels, inverter locations, cable routes, electrical connections, roof access and future maintenance requirements across both buildings.
The scale of the system also meant that careful consideration was required when coordinating the different elements of the installation, from panel layout through to the electrical infrastructure connecting the system to the site’s existing network.
Fire Safety Considerations
Fire safety was an important consideration during the design and installation of the rooftop PV system.
Energy Gain incorporated appropriate fire-safety considerations into the design, including consideration of the recommendations set out in RC62 – Recommendations for Fire Safety with PV Panel Installations.
For a large commercial rooftop installation, these considerations form an important part of ensuring that the PV system is designed and installed with appropriate access, equipment positioning, cable management and fire-safety measures in mind.
Coordinated Installation and Logistics
Installing 4,399 solar panels across two operational buildings required careful planning of materials, equipment and installation activities.
Panels, mounting equipment, inverters and associated electrical components had to be delivered and coordinated across the site while maintaining safe working areas and minimising disruption to CNC Speedwell’s manufacturing operations.
The size of the project also required close coordination between Energy Gain’s engineering, procurement and construction teams to ensure the installation progressed efficiently from design through to commissioning
Our Solution
Energy Gain developed and delivered a bespoke 2,139kWp commercial rooftop solar PV system across CNC Speedwell’s CNC 1 and CNC 3 buildings.
The system comprises 4,399 solar panels, with the design developed to make effective use of the available roof space while considering the site’s existing electrical infrastructure, access requirements and ongoing manufacturing operations.
Following detailed site assessments and engineering design, Energy Gain planned the panel layout, electrical infrastructure, inverter positioning and cable routes required to connect the two-building installation.
The project also incorporated SolarEdge technology, providing system optimisation and monitoring capabilities across the installation.
SolarEdge technology allows the performance of the solar PV system to be monitored in detail, providing visibility of generation and system performance and supporting ongoing operation and maintenance.
The completed installation provides CNC Speedwell with a substantial source of renewable electricity generated directly at its manufacturing facility.
Project Results
The completed 2,139kWp solar PV system is expected to generate approximately 1,673.22 MWh of renewable electricity every year.
Over its projected lifetime, the system is forecast to generate approximately 39,238.04 MWh of electricity.
The installation is also expected to save approximately 320 tonnes of CO₂ each year, resulting in projected lifetime CO₂ savings of approximately 7,504 tonnes.
For a large-scale manufacturing operation, generating electricity on-site provides an opportunity to reduce the amount of electricity required from the grid during the site’s operating periods while increasing the proportion of renewable electricity used within the business.
Project Statistics
- System Size: 2,139 kWp
- Solar Panels Installed: 4,399
- Buildings: CNC 1 and CNC 3
- Annual Generation: 1,673.22 MWh
- Lifetime Generation: 39,238.04 MWh
- Annual CO₂ Savings: 320 tonnes
- Total CO₂ Savings: 7,504 tonnes
Engineering Insight
Large manufacturing facilities can provide significant opportunities for commercial rooftop solar due to their substantial electricity requirements and extensive roof space.
CNC Speedwell’s manufacturing operation includes a large machine park, automation and multiple production processes, creating a substantial on-site electricity requirement. The company has invested extensively in machining, automation, washing, assembly and finishing capabilities across its Brownhills facility.
For a project of this scale, the engineering process extends beyond simply maximising the number of panels installed. The system needed to be designed around the existing buildings, electrical infrastructure, access requirements, fire-safety considerations and operational demands of the site
Solar for High-Energy Manufacturing Facilities
Manufacturing businesses can be particularly well suited to commercial solar because of their combination of high electricity demand, extensive roof space and ongoing industrial operations.
Machinery, production lines, automation, lighting, compressed air and other manufacturing processes can create significant electricity requirements throughout the working day. Solar PV can provide an opportunity to generate part of this electricity directly on-site.
For businesses operating large manufacturing facilities, commercial solar can help to:
- Reduce reliance on grid electricity
- Generate renewable electricity on-site
- Reduce electricity costs
- Lower operational carbon emissions
- Support environmental and sustainability objectives
- Make better use of available industrial roof space
- Increase the proportion of electricity generated from renewable sources
For CNC Speedwell, the 2.139MWp installation provides a significant long-term renewable energy asset across two of its manufacturing buildings.
Looking to Install Commercial Solar?
Energy Gain has experience delivering large-scale commercial rooftop solar PV systems for manufacturing businesses, industrial facilities, logistics operators and other energy-intensive organisations across the UK.
Every commercial site has different requirements. Roof characteristics, electricity consumption, structural considerations, electrical infrastructure, grid capacity and operational requirements all need to be considered when determining the most appropriate solar PV solution.
Our engineering team can carry out a detailed feasibility assessment to establish the potential system size, expected generation, financial returns and site requirements for your business.
Contact Energy Gain today for a free feasibility assessment to discover how commercial solar could work for your site.
