Big investment in solar power at light steel frame specialists
Light steel frame construction specialists Metek have invested in a major solar installation at its manufacturing facility, Advanced Cold Formed Sections in Wolverhampton.
The move, which is part of the company’s wide-ranging carbon reduction strategy, will see the new solar panels deliver up to 82 per cent of the energy needed to power the production hub.
The works consisted of the installation of 535 solar modules which were installed across units A and E of the factory site. The installation was completed in four weeks with no disruption to company operations.
The system is estimated to produce 245 KW/h, which will enable Metek to save 97.97 tonnes of CO2 emissions across Unit A this year alone. This equates to 556,489 miles of driving – a staggering 22.5 times around the world! With industrial battery units due to arrive next month, the firms’ sustainability journey looks set to gather pace.
Metek’s managing director Oliver Rogan said: “Moving to an alternative energy source was an easy decision for us here at Metek. Not only are we committed to ‘doing’ rather than ‘talking’ when it comes to our sustainability goals, we want to create a better infrastructure for the future throughout all our operations. Light steel frame construction is intrinsically more sustainable than other methods and so it is critical that this is reflected across the board for us.”
Metek has been at the forefront of the light steel frame revolution for over 20 years. Based largely on the offsite nature of the construction process, LSF reduces the embodied carbon in the building fabric by around 20 per cent and transport, labour and site waste are reduced dramatically.
With sustainability at the heart of both the Metek product and process, Oliver and the team are working towards eliminating onsite waste entirely along with elevating the levels of thermal insulation and air tightness within their steel frame system, whilst continuing to drive productivity and speed of construction.
“Our lightweight Metek system already allows for hugely reduced foundation loads and our production method, which involves rolling components to lengths, means we produce minimal manufacturing waste,” said Mr Rogan.
“With net zero at the forefront of construction right now, we are proud to be playing our part actively by embracing renewable energy technologies and continuing our journey from good to great.”
