East End Foods has installed Birmingham’s largest collection of solar panels on the roof of its new cash & carry at Aston Cross.

Some 612 photovoltaic panels cover the 120,000 sq ft former HP Sauce factory. They will generate enough electricity to meet the building’s daytime demands and save an estimated 63 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. Any surplus electricity will be fed back into the National Grid.

“When we acquired this land we said we would make it the gateway to Birmingham - we knew we would have to do something exceptional,” said East End Foods chairman Tony Deep Wouhra. “We capture and reuse waste water on the site and now we have solar panels providing all our energy - the foundations have been laid to make this a fully carbon neutral building.

“I will be encouraging other businesses to look at the financial case for PV as it is a great opportunity to save money and display their commitment to lowering carbon.”

East End Foods expects the energy savings to pay for the £250,000 investment in about five years.

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