North Wales retailer PetPlace has invested more than £250,000 in solar panels to provide energy for its store estate.
The company has installed up to 450 solar panels at its stores in Abergele and Llangefni, with Ruthin, Mold and Gledrid set to follow.
Owners Sion Pritchard and Paul Penketh enlisted North Wales company Hafod Renewable Energy to supply and fit the panels, and worked with other local firms to push ahead with its green vision.
Sion said: “Initially we have focused on Abergele and Llangefni, but we will look to roll out as we rebrand and refurbish our other stores. The investment in solar panels alone will result in a carbon saving of around 40 tons of C02 per year, so long-term we will see the benefits.”
PetPlace has also introduced electric charging points at all sites – including its Kinmel Bay headquarters – and has also deployed electric rather than gas forklift vehicles, electric company cars and digital display screens, which is hoped will reduce consumption of paper.
Sion continued: “All of our vehicles are now electric – including forklift trucks in the warehouses – and we are more sustainable than ever before, with more energy efficiency improvements to follow.
“As well as Hafod Renewable Energy we have worked closely with Gwynedd Forklifts and Rawson EV Power, two North Wales companies that helped us with these projects and others over the years. We are focused on supporting local businesses in all sectors, not just our own, which also lowers our carbon footprint and further strengthens the economy in this region at a challenging time for all industries.”
David Jones, co-founder of Hafod Renewable Energy, added: “It was a big project which equated to around a quarter of an acre of solar panels.
“The installation took a couple of weeks from start to finish and also included more than 1km of mounting rail and a battery system that will store energy to run their freezers overnight, producing more than 160,000kwh per year.
“It was fantastic to work in partnership with such a respected, growing business which has embraced sustainability and renewable energy.”
