Press Release
Solar PV installation: Wadworth Brewery Visitor Centre, Devizes
10th May 2013
Kennet Community Energy Limited (KCEL) is pleased to announce an agreement with Wadworth Co. Ltd to install solar photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Wadworth Brewery Visitor Centre in Devizes. This renewable energy facility will be owned and operated by KCEL and will supply Wadworth with a sustainable supply of zero carbon electricity.
The 44kWp facility will consist of 200 panels fitted to the south facing roof of the Visitor Centre and is expected to generate 38,755kWh of energy and save more than 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide on an annual basis.
The installation of the system started at the end of April 2013 and is expected to be in operation in May - for more details on the installation see www.kennetenergy.org.uk/wadworth_brewery_visitor_centre.html.
This is the first project for KCEL, a not-for-profit social enterprise which was only formed in January of this year. The members of KCEL, who collectively own the company, have all contributed to the initial fund raising round to finance this Wadworth project and the subsequent portfolio of renewable energy projects that KCEL will develop.
Nick Stedman, the Chairman of KCEL said:
" We are delighted to be working with Wadworth who have given us tremendous support in the development of our first renewable energy project. The solar PV installation on the Visitor Centre provides us with a highly visible show case for what we are aiming to achieve and we look forward to working closely with Wadworth over the coming years"
Charles Bartholomew, the Chairman of Wadworth said:
“The company for a number of years has been running a “keen to be green” committee to identify ways for the business to be green. This has resulted in the recycling of cooking oil in our managed pubs, steam recovery in the brewery and the installation of sensor controlled and low energy lighting plus many other initiatives. The installation of solar PV panels is a very public sign of our keen to be green ambitions.”
About Wadworth Brewery:
Founded in 1875, Wadworth & Co Ltd of Devizes, boasts an enviable tradition in the brewing of fine beers. The Northgate Brewery, with it's impressive Victorian facade, was designed and built by Henry Wadworth in 1885, and is still run as a family business. Apart from our nationally renowned 6X cask ale, we produce a number of excellent beers including Horizon, Henry's IPA, Bishops Tipple, Swordfish and a number of seasonal guest ales. All of the Wadworth core ale range is available in bottle and 6X is available in cans for the off trade market.
Wadworth operates 250 pubs in the south west of England which can be found in the counties of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Dorset and Somerset.
Further information on Wadworth's fine ales and pubs can be found on the company website – www.wadworth.co.uk
About Kennet Community Energy Limited
Kennet Community Energy Limited (KCEL) is an Industrial & Provident Society (IPS) conducting a renewable energy business for the benefit of the community (sometimes referred to as a BenComm), and is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965 (registration# 31942R).
KCEL's vision is to build an enterprise owned by members of the community, developing renewable energy projects in the north and east of Wiltshire and the surrounding areas, which will make a major contribution to local, renewable energy generation.
As a not-for-profit social enterprise, the KCEL Rules have been developed so that all surplus profits are given back to the community via a Community Fund and the company's assets are also 'locked', meaning that anything that KCEL owns can only be transferred to another body that is similarly constituted with its own 'asset lock'.