At CleanEarth Energy, we’ve been working with the Sterling Supergroup for over 10 years; we first installed with Bikold Foodservice in 2015 before installing with T&L Wholesale, County Foods, and Fresh Island Foods. Now, Mancunian Foods is the fifth member of Sterling Supergroup to install solar PV with us.

Our first project for the group was Bikold Foodservice in 2015, installing a 144kWp system that is generating 115,000kWh annually. This generation reduces their carbon emissions by 50 tonnes each year. In the system’s lifetime, Bikold Foodservice will have reached 1,250 tonnes of CO2e reductions. For their 24-hour operations, these environmental impact reductions are crucial. Ten years on from their original installation, they’ve generated 1 million kWh on site.

T&L Wholesale was our next project for the group, where we installed a 50kWp system designed for the exact needs of the business. This project demonstrates the nuance of solar PV – the best system is not always the biggest, but the one that meets the needs of the business the most appropriately.

For our project with County Foods in 2022, we supported them through securing funding with Low Carbon Dorset that enabled them to invest in solar without bearing the total cost upfront. This put them in a position to save almost £10k a year on energy bills with a payback period of less than three years.

Fresh Island Foods first came across CleanEarth Energy from the recommendation of Practical Roofing. Fresh Island Foods was undergoing new roof works and took the opportunity to pursue solar as part of their wider site refurbishments. We supplied them with a system that’s now generating over 100,000 kWh of annual solar electricity – this will ultimately save them £580,000 in energy costs.

After a decade of successful projects for the Sterling Supergroup, Mancunian Foods moved ahead with CleanEarth in full confidence of our abilities. As with many of our client they were able to support this investment through an asset finance solution, to move the project forward without incurring the full cost upfront. Their solar PV is going to provide roughly 126,000 kWh of low-cost low-carbon energy to their site each year, with full support from our O&M team at no extra cost for their first two years post-install.

Our team has now installed 540kWp of capacity for the Sterling Supergroup. Solar PV has never been more financially accessible for groups like this – the price of solar panels has dropped by 70% since we started working with the Sterling Supergroup. Payback periods are now on average between 3 to 5 years, and our team can help you navigate your own financing solution to get started.

Solar has never been more logical a step, and we’re looking forward to supporting Sterling Supergroup in their sustainability for many years to come.

Learn more about our projects for Bikold and Fresh Island Foods, or explore our other installations for our wide range of clients.