Yeo Valley_SolarEdge_PV Install

Source: Yeo Valley 

The project will reduce the yoghurt supplier’s emissions by 400 tonnes a year

Yeo Valley Organic has completed a solar energy project it says will cut its carbon emissions by 400 tonnes a year.

The project, in partnership with sustainable energy provider SolarEdge Technologies, has seen the yoghurt giant install a 623MWh rooftop array at its Newton Abbot manufacturing facility.

The move, which follows the installation of a 1.13MW rooftop system at its Isleport site, is part of Yeo Valley’s plan to become 50% electricity self-sufficient within the next 10 years.

SolarEdge said its system used power optimisers to increase the energy production of each module in the array by overcoming issues such as shading and soiling, which can limit output in traditional string inverter systems.

The project comes after the launch of a five-year regenerative agriculture scheme by Yeo Valley last year, in which it is trialling multiple carbon sequestration work streams on 20 farms in its supply chain. That work was publicised in a £3m ad push by the brand at the turn of the year.

“Our commitment to invest in green technologies as part of our Sustainable Development Business Plan is an important part of our vision to build a more sustainable future that involves reducing food miles, improving packaging and being ’powered by nature’,” said Yeo Valley chair Karl Tucker.