Natures Menu
Thetford
The ambition
With a focus on providing natural, high-quality pet food, Natures Menu is one of Europe’s largest pet food brands. After relocating to a new factory, Natures Menu approached RenEnergy to tackle their increased energy consumption. Combined with an increase in energy prices, generating their own energy on-site became an operational priority for Natures Menu.
The solution
We completed a large solar panel installation to reduce the firm’s reliance on grid energy. We successfully negotiated a number of challenges: a large flat roof in an exposed area meant the panels were susceptible to uplift in winds, combined with a lightweight roof unable to bear substantial weight.
We selected specific options to accommodate the lightweight roof. We added hard-wearing walkways to protect the roof and provide ease of access for maintenance and incorporated a sacrificial layer under the panels to protect the manufacturers’ warranty on the newly-installed roof.
522.6kWp
Total installed capacity
1,608
Solar panels installed
20
Inverters installed
“As the leading producer of high-quality natural pet foods, we believe that this long-term investment in green energy facilitated by RenEnergy is a major signal of our commitment to modern pet parents, who care for both their pets and the environment they live in.”
Mike Bedford, Compliance Manager, Natures Menu
The benefits
East-west panel layout increases energy density to offset as much of load as possible. An East/West array allows us to install up to 80% more capacity on the same area compared to a South facing array, so is a good option for high usage sites with limited space
When the solution was designed, it was estimated that the solution would generate 15% of the building’s annual demand at the time
The solution saves money on electricity, thereby increasing profitability
Estimated annual CO2 savings of 205,000kg
Demonstrates a commitment to environmental responsibility which complements the brand’s nature-conscious ethos
System design is bespoke to Natures Menu, tailored to their needs and challenges
Hard-wearing walkways protect roof, and provide ease of access for future roof and panel maintenance
Sacrificial layer installed under panel feet protects manufacturer’s warranty on the newly-installed roof
CO2
Annual saving
of 205,000kg
Note that all estimated performance figures are calculated using industry-standard systems and norms, assume ideal operating conditions, and would have been estimated as at the time of the installation. CO2 equivalent analogies source