We have installed a large ground mounted solar PV system at a drum manufacturer based in County Durham.
Project Details | |
System Size 252.88 kWp |
No. of Panels 464 |
Annual Generation 221,070 kWh’s |
Co2 Emissions Avoided 42,897 kg/year |
For over 60 years The Metal Drum Company have been manufacturing steel containers for the petro-chemical, resin and paint, dye stuff and construction industries and wanted to add to their existing rooftop solar panel installation which we installed in 2019, to save more money on their energy bills.
They reached out to us again in 2022 to see if we could install to the roof where they carry out most of their manufacturing, however after a roof survey was completed, it was found that this was not a suitable option.
The Metal Drum Company had a lot of disused land to the back of their warehouse where they were unable to build any premises on due to mine related geohazards, however it was suitable to accommodate ground mounted solar panels. This would also save a lot of time, money and upheaval replacing the current roof.
Once agreed, our team began to create designs for the solar installation, with the view to maximise on the area used, creating several rows of solar panels which would fit perfectly without shading each other.
We presented our proposal and projections to Sam Britton and the team at The Metal Drum Company and were given the go ahead shortly afterwards.

Because the land has been disused for a number of years, we needed to prepare it before we could install anything. This involved carrying out a topographic survey, marking out areas that needed to be level according to our designs, then using an excavator to dig out and level the land. This was a challenge because we used mounting plates and ballast due to not being able to ground screw or pile down, and the ground needed to be perfect.
Once the ground was ready, we began to install the framework, the inverters, then the panels. We also created a trench which was used to channel the cable back to the main building into the service room where the electricity supply was connected to the grid.
Overall we installed 464 solar panels with 3 inverters. This is a 252.88kWp installation which is projected to produce 221,070 kWh’s per year and save The Metal Drum Company 42 tonnes of CO2e emissions.
According to our projections, The Metal Drum Company would see a return on investment within 5 years of their system being installed.
Contact us today if you would like to discuss installing commercial solar panels to your organisation. There are a number of funding options available and we are always here to answer any questions you have. If you are just considering installing solar as part of your NetZero initiative, or you just want to save money, please get in touch with us.