Contractor Forrest has completed a £1.5msolar panel installation at Fleetwood Water Treatment Works (WTW) on behalf of United Utilities.
The project saw Forrest install a 1.32 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) system covering the roofs of four commercial buildings at the site, equating to one and a half football pitches.
United Utilities’ treatment works in Fleetwood is one of its most energy intensive sites and the new solar system will generate over 1.1 million kWh per year to be used directly by the site.
The work is part of United Utilities ongoing carbon reduction plans and follows the completion of a similar project at Lostock Water Treatment Works in 2014 where Forrest installed a 160 kWp solar panel system.
Paul McCarren, energy director at Forrest, said: “The scale of United Utilities’ required energy consumption, combined with its commitment to meet long-term carbon targets, has led to this significant investment in their own energy generation. We believe Forrest is the contractor of choice across the UK for installations of this complexity.”
Neil Carroll, energy manager at United Utilities, said: “For a business like ours, solar energy just makes sense. Our treatment facilities consume a significant amount of energy and, after piloting solar power at our site in Lostock, we’ve begun to roll out solar installations across other plants to help us meet our target of halving our 2006 carbon emissions levels by 2035.”
