Solar so good for Premier Marinas
by Amy Parker 3 Jul 2024 12:20 BST
The Boat House, Swanwick © Premier Marinas
Following some 15 years and nearly £850,000 of investment in solar PV systems, Premier Marinas has launched a new feature on its website displaying live data from the energy it has generated from the sun.
This can be viewed at premiermarinas.com/sustainability and shows the electricity generated in the last 24 hours, and last 12 months from its various sites.
As of June 2024, Premier's solar installations have grown to a total of 3630 solar panels with a total generating capability greater than 1200 kWp. To date, these solar panels have harnessed over 4,000,000 kWh of electricity - enough to power over 1500 homes (Ofgem estimates the typical household in England, Scotland and Wales uses 2,700 kWh of electricity a year).
This ongoing investment in solar energy is a pivotal aspect of Premier Marinas' environmental strategy. Each installation has been designed to optimise the amount of energy harnessed from the sun and reduces the draw on the power grid and resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Last year, Premier Marinas set ambitious targets to reduce GHG emissions from facilities they occupy (buildings and boatyards) benchmarking it by becoming the first UK marina operator to be verified ISO 14064-1:2008 for the management of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reaffirming their commitment to sustainability.
In addition to solar energy, Premier Marinas has made significant strides in reducing its carbon footprint by switching to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) for its boatyard plant and machinery. Premier was the first marina group in the UK to adopt HVO, significantly reducing carbon emissions from its operations.
"Our customers want to see that we are serious about protecting the environment," said Peter Wortley, Premier's Environment Health and Safety Manager. "It is critical for us to take action and be as transparent as possible in what we do—which is why the Premier Marinas website now displays live solar data." Premier plans to continue growing its solar capability including at the new Boat House Café reopening at Swanwick Marina this summer.