New $1.25 million solar farm to produce 500,000 vacuums per year

By Lauren Beavis

Photos show a new $1.25 million solar farm — that will help make 500,000 Henry Hoovers in a U.K. first.

Numatic International — manufacturer of the vacuum — has switched on its new micro-solar-park in Chard, Somerset, in a bid to address the cost of energy crisis.

The five-acre site, installed by SunGift Solar, will be supplying clean power directly into Numatic’s plastic molding operations — one of the most energy-intensive parts of the Henry Hoover manufacturing process.

The installation will allow the company to manufacture “the equivalent of 500,000 Henrys a year from sunshine” while reducing its annual carbon dioxide emissions (CO2).

The company has said its array of 2,672 panels is expected to meet around 20 percent of its annual on-site electricity demand — rising as high as 100 percent on some days.

The solar park, which Numatic hopes will be used as a blueprint for other manufacturers and commercial operations, will cut CO2 emissions by nearly 267 tons a year — the equivalent to the yearly emissions of about 58 average passenger cars.

Stephen George, regulatory affairs and sustainability manager at Numatic International, said: “By investing in cutting-edge solar technology, we’re reducing our environmental footprint at the same time as protecting our manufacturing operations from rapidly rising energy costs.

“Part of our ‘Operation Cleansweep’ sustainability goals, the new micro-solar-park shows what can be achieved when you reimagine how you approach small spaces.

"It helps us on our journey as a responsible manufacturer and accelerates our progress towards achieving Net Zero by 2035.

"As a result, we will be able to make the equivalent of 500,000 Henrys a year from sunshine while cutting our CO2 emissions by 266.91 tons a year!”

The site uses AIKO All-Back-Contact (ABC) cells paired with Sigenergy’s hybrid inverters — a combination that produces over 7 percent more kWh per panel than conventional ground-mounted solar PV arrays.

Numatic has said its $1.25 million investment will pay for itself in under five years — potentially as soon as two and a half years at current grid energy prices.

Gabriel Wondrausch, director at SunGift Solar, added: “Originally earmarked as a site for new manufacturing units, we calculated that by using highly efficient commercial versions of solar panels normally only used on domestic properties, we could transform a relatively small parcel of land into a hugely valuable solar asset for Numatic, capable of delivering a fifth of its annual energy needs.

“Providing a blueprint for other high-energy-use manufacturers to follow, the technology shows how small parcels of land adjoining factories or businesses can be converted into direct-feed solar power generation centers.”