Shawton Engineering

Shawton Engineering, one of the leading manufacturers of bespoke structural steelwork and architectural metalwork in the UK, wanted to futureproof their business and show their commitment to the environment by installing a commercial solar panel system.

In a bid to reduce the company’s annual energy bills, Shawton Energy was commissioned to install a complete SolarEdge PV system of close to 600 375kw PV solar panels at their headquarters in Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside.

THE PROCESS

The initial site surveys and proposals had to take into account that Shawton Engineering’s headquarters are used 24/7 for engineering production, and as such, facility health and safety, logistics, and access were discussed and agreed upon.

As part of this detailed process, complete pre and construction-phase health and safety plans were produced and provided to the client to ensure the practically and long-term functionality of the install.

To ensure the maximum size of the Solar PV system, it was agreed with our client that existing skylights within the roof structure would be covered. As part of this work, an LED lighting replacement was undertaken within the production areas to ensure lighting LUX levels were exceeded to enhance the working environment.

Before installation, a full site compound, scaffold access, and handrails were introduced to provide our team with safe access to all working areas. Our experienced team then began installing a total of 589 Longi 375w PV modules, 295 SolarEdge P801 optimisers and 5 SolarEdge SE33.3k inverters.

The works took just four weeks from start to completion and were carried out with no disruption to Shawton Engineering’s day-to-day business.

The company is now generating its own renewable energy with its SolarEdge Solar PV system, and it’s estimated that the solar installation will help the business achieve savings of £2.9million on their energy bills over 25 years.