For over 25 years CCL Pentasol has been delivering a range of hygiene chemicals from its purpose built, state of the art production facility in Haydock. CCL Pentasol supplies an extensive range of chemicals for the Food, Dairy, Brewing, Beverage
and Pharmaceutical industries. The factory is ISO 9001 approved and employs HACCP working
practices at all levels.

An energy assessment carried out highlighted ways that this already high standard could be enhanced. The facility possesses a perfect south facing roof that offers CCL Pentasol a way of generating their own electricity via a Solar PV array. Areas of the office, warehouse and externals are still serviced with traditional lighting, which is extremely energy inefficient.

Solar PV Array

There are several considerations when planning an installation of this size. 385 solar photo voltaic panels were installed over an area of 625 square metres that provides 94.5kWh of energy.

This has implications for wind and snow load calculations, structural capacity, physical layout, safe access and planning consent. In addition to these practical considerations a system of this size requires detailed design and consultation with the DNO (distribution network operator) prior to the connection of the Solar PV Array to the national grid. The entire process was managed by our technicians, designers and consultants.

The design of suitable solar PV systems has to take into consideration “cost versus benefit”. It is easy to fill a roof structure with PV panels however; this may not represent the most cost effective solution and could result in most of the energy being fed back to the grid for a minimal fee.

This array was designed to provide a level of power that would allow the client to use 85% of the energy produced by the array and only export a minimal amount at specific times to the grid. This level of internal use of generated energy provides the quickest possible payback period and best return on investment.

Solar PV Installation

An initial survey confirmed that the building orientation was ideally situated with a south facing roof and after further investigation indicated that a solar PV array of approximately 100kWh could be accommodated. Our installation and project management teams completed the 100kWh installation within 3 weeks including commissioning and connection to the grid. The work was carried out during operational hours with zero down time to CCL Pentasol staff and operations. With electricity bills in excess of £25k per 3 years, a demand of a 100kWh Solar PV Array provides up to 40% of the total electricity demand. Effective project management enabled the installation, commissioning, DNO grid connection, witness testing and final handover to happen on time and on budget.

Internal and External Lighting

Internal and External Lighting was upgraded to include the following installations:

• The Boardrooms inefficient Traditional 50W Halogen GU10 Downlights were replaced with 5W Fire Rated Downlights. The decorative nature of the Downlights compliment the boardrooms aesthetics whilst also achieving excellent energy savings. In addition the benefits also include reduced maintenance due to the increased lamp life and cooler operation temperatures.
• External Flood Lighting was upgraded from traditional 250W Fittings to 100W LED fixtures, achieving an significant energy reduction of 60%. Lamp replacement of the traditional 250W Metal Halide Flood Lighting proved costly due to the access equipment required to change the lighting. The LED technology boasts a 50,000 hour lifespan, based on the average of a 12 hour day, which equates to a lifespan of over 11 years.
• Laboratory and office areas have benefited from new 600 by 600 LED panels. The quality of light is something that is very important to CCL Pentasol, particularly within laboratory conditions. A notable improvement in the quality of light has been achieved, with again the benefit of reduced energy consumption and maintenance requirements due to the 50,000 hour LED lifetime.
• Entrance and reception areas was installed with various LED technologies. The LED GU10 style Fire Rated Downlight have replaced the inefficient Halogen GU10 lighting and the old 600 x 600 CAT 2 Style fittings were replaced with stylish energy saving 600 by 600 LED panels. The lighting changes have achieved excellent energy savings without detriment to lighting quality or lux levels. This is very important in the reception area of the business where first impressions count.