Sustainability is at the heart of everything Perkins does

Sustainability is at the heart of everything Perkins does, from its products to its facilities.

At Peterborough, UK, our focus on climate change, business goals and ever-increasing utilities costs required us to investigate alternative sources of energy to become self-sufficient and reduce overheads.

The installation of a 1.36MW photovoltaic (PV) array has enabled the Peterborough site to reduce it baseload and support our operations as well as having a positive impact on the site’s environmental impact and biodiversity. 

Peterborough’s PV farm

The site’s sustainability vision has been in place for over four years. This was developed to identify the key elements under the sustainable banner to increase focus, drive awareness and identify opportunities for improvement across the Peterborough facility.

Rising utilities costs and the world’s focus on sustainability, climate change and the company’s impact steered the development of the project.

Generation of renewable energy has always been on the site’s agenda, and in 2019, Perkins determined it was the right solution to reduce our environmental impact and support its own power requirements for the facility.

The size, orientation and positioning of the array were determined through multiple surveys to obtain optimum output throughout the year, whilst still maintaining future scope to increase the footprint or to install batteries for energy storage whilst not in use.

The expenditure was significant, and our senior leadership remained engaged in the execution of the project throughout, installed on the land we had not been used for several years.

Up and running

Two years of planning concluded with the installation of a 1.36-Megawatt PV array in 2020/2021. This is currently the largest commercial PV farm in Peterborough. This supports 100 percent of the company’s baseload and can support power requirements to one of our factories.

“The PV farm marks the start of our journey to produce sustainable power that will provide the site’s energy from a clean energy source,” explains Carl Hodge, environmental manager at Perkins’ Peterborough facility. “The work and direction for sustainable manufacturing is a core goal.

“The team’s efforts and the end results mean we delivered the project on time to cost and without any disruption to site activity. This is a great achievement and something that demonstrates our continued desire for sustainable solutions.”

Small changes can have a big impact

Beyond the PV installation, Perkins has seeded over 13,000 sqm2 of land to encourage wildlife to thrive in and around the panels. The installation of a new rest area with a newly formed pond promotes not only biodiversity but encourages employees to engage with nature and enjoy the surroundings, which can have a positive effect on mental health. 

The installation also gives Perkins the ability to promote all the other green spaces throughout our facility, raise awareness of onsite activities and give a good visual representation to our employees of the company’s commitment to change.