Greater Manchester has 1,400 hours of sunlight every year. Every hour that the sun shines and you don’t have solar PV, your business could be losing money.
Bee Net Zero is a partnership committed to making Greater Manchester the easiest place to become a net zero business, and is supported by the Greater Manchester Businss Board (LEP). The Bee Net Zero partnership unites a range of organisations and support programmes from across the city-region who are committed to making the transition as straightforward and cost-efficient as possible for businesses.
Now, they’re calling on businesses to join the “Rooftop Revolution” and install solar photovoltaics (PV) on their premises.
With energy bills on the rise, the payback time for solar PV is at a record low and many businesses are turning to the on-site renewable energy source to reduce their reliance on the grid and unreliable energy prices.
The average payback time for a solar PV install is now between 4 and 6 years. For Greater Manchester’s thousands of small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the investment could reduce annual energy bills by between 40% and 80% – saving the average SME between £4,000 and £11,000. Investing in solar PV can also reduce CO2 emissions by between 3-5 tonnes per year depending on the business and size of the solar rig installed.
The Rooftop Revolution campaign aims to simplify the switch to solar by helping businesses to connect with local suppliers, understand the business case, learn about potential barriers, and gain the confidence to invest in solar.
By bringing together the advice from trusted partners from across Greater Manchester including Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Green Economy, Electricity Northwest, Manchester Climate Change Agency, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP), the partnership hopes to become a trusted voice in the transition to solar and provide businesses of all shapes and sizes across Greater Manchester with the guidance they need to adopt green tech.
Bee Net Zero’s solar landing page provides resources and information on everything businesses need to know about installing solar, including information on finance, suppliers, and case studies from businesses that have recently made the switch.
This includes a guide created by Bee Net Zero partner Green Economy to help businesses understand how solar can be a part of their net zero action plan. It aims to demystify some of the technical aspects of installing solar while matching businesses with the right installer and helping them how to overcome common barriers.
Steve Connor, Green Lead for Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP), said: “For businesses considering installing solar on their premises – the time is now. It has enormous potential to help businesses save thousands on their energy bills while bringing down carbon emissions. Greater Manchester gets much more sunlight than people realise, and this offers businesses a low-cost, low-carbon source of electricity which can help them save money and become more sustainable from the day of installation.
“Energy costs have risen considerably, but the payback period on a solar installation is only getting shorter. Through Bee Net Zero and its partners, including Electricity North West and Green Economy, all the resources to help your business install solar PV are in one place. The benefits are now too good to ignore – join the Rooftop Revolution and contact Bee Net Zero to explore how we can help.”
Greater Manchester has a science-based target to be carbon neutral by 2038. To achieve this, the city-region has plans to diversify its energy supply and increase local renewable energy generation.
To learn more about how your business can join Greater Manchester’s Rooftop Revolution visit www.beenetzero.co.uk/solar
