Bringing solar power to Latcham

Key highlights

• A 567 kWp system with 1,276 panels
• Generating 465,000 kWh every year
• Saving 96 tonnes of CO2 annually

‘Businesses expend more energy than an individual, so they have to take the lead in tackling the climate crisis’, says Latcham’s Managing Director, Mike Hughes. Data, print, digital and fulfilment specialists, Latcham, are certainly doing that with their commitment to a sustainable approach.

Making sustainable change

Latcham has aligned its green goals with Bristol City Council, to be carbon neutral by 2030. To achieve their ambitions, Latcham is making a number of changes to the way they do business. These include recycling 94% of all waste materials to date, insulating walls, replacing windows, upgrading their print facility, installing EV charge points, and partnering with the Bristol charity, Tree Aid.

When they decided that solar energy would be part of this change, we were delighted to work with the Bristol Energy Cooperative to make it happen. Bristol Energy Cooperative offer free solar PV for businesses, schools and community organisations across Bristol, partnering with sites in or around the city which have large roofs and use lots of electricity.

Let’s go solar!

Latcham’s Bristol head office is a fantastic site to work on with its large, well-appointed roof. The initial challenge was maximising the number of panels on the main roof, and we did that with a combination of landscape and portrait design, to get as much on as possible. We also had to make sure the panels would be accessible for maintenance and cleaning, so that influenced our thinking.

The kit

We installed a 567 kWp system with 1,276 JA Solar fully traceable 445w panels. The system is connected to four 100 kW Solis inverters, which are mounted on a custom-built inverter frame.

The solar is predicted to generate 465,000 kWh every year, saving 96 tonnes of CO2 annually.

The dream

Latcham says that when it comes to the communications they create, “green is our dream”. We are so pleased to have helped them on the way to achieving this dream, in partnership with the brilliant Bristol Energy Cooperative.

Discover more

Read more about the solar we installed on the Castle Climbing Centre

Find out more about the award-winning solar we’ve installed on schools and community buildings in North Lincolnshire

Discover more about how we work with businesses to help them go solar

Read more about how we are involved in Community energy