Solarsense short-listed for Sustainable Business of the Year Award

Solarsense, a leading provider of renewable energy solutions, has been announced as a finalist in the prestigious South West Business of the Year Awards 2024. Short-listed in the sustainability category, this recognition highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to quality, sustainability, innovation, and its positive impact on the region’s environmental footprint. The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony, which is due to take place at the Bristol Harbour Hotel on Thursday 14th November 2024.

The South West Business of the Year Awards, known for celebrating business excellence across the region, selected Solarsense for its remarkable contributions to the clean energy sector. The company has played a pivotal role in helping its clients transition to cleaner energy sources, reducing carbon emissions, and promoting energy efficiency.

A leader in renewable energy solutions

Founded over two decades ago, Solarsense has grown into one of the UK’s most trusted renewable energy companies. The employee-owned B Corporation, specialises in solar PV, battery storage, and other clean energy technologies including solar carports. The company has recently hit a key milestone by completing 20,000 renewable energy installations. In the past 12 months alone, Solarsense has installed more than 24,350 solar panels for clients such as The Crown Estate, Brothers Cider and Museum of London.

Commitment to sustainability

As a certified B Corp, Solarsense is part of a global community of businesses that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. They are also legally committed to bringing benefit not just to their shareholders, but all business stakeholders including their staff, customers, communities, and the environment.

Managing Director, Stephen Barrett, expressed his pride in the recognition, stating, “Being named a finalist is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire team. Our mission has always been to provide high-quality renewable energy solutions that not only benefit our clients but also have a lasting positive impact on the environment. We’re honoured to be recognised for our efforts.”

Powering the UK towards a clean energy future

Solarsense’s mission is to power the UK toward a clean energy future. The company’s vision is a world where all energy is generated from renewable sources, benefiting the environment, economy, and society. By continuously reducing their own carbon footprint and developing pioneering ways of increasing the uptake of renewables, Solarsense demonstrates how businesses and the wider community can reduce their environmental impact and generate long-term financial stability.

Solarsense stands apart from the competition both in its ethos and project delivery. The company strives to deliver innovative and cutting-edge projects, adding value for its customers wherever possible. For example, they recently donated additional solar panels to King’s School Macclesfield (having installed solar PV on their sports centre roof) to provide the physics department with a hands-on learning tool. In addition to powering the aeration systems in the school’s ponds, helping to boost wildlife and further enhance outdoor learning programs, the pupils will learn the science behind energy conversion systems and be involved in recording and analysing energy efficiency data. Solarsense hopes this will inspire our future generations to care for the environment.

A force for good

Solarsense goes above and beyond its normal business duties, aiming to be a force for good while creating sustainable livelihoods for the communities it serves. For example, the company invests time and expertise each year to directly support selected charitable projects throughout the UK and overseas, often installing refurbished solar PV systems to aid their partners’ financial and sustainability goals. Past charity projects have seen the team travel as far as India to install a solar PV system for Bishop Bexel Orphanage and to Ethiopia to install solar panels powering the vaccination fridges at Beso Medical Centre.

For the past three years, Solarsense has supported The Brightwell, home of the West of England Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Charity, which helps people with neurological conditions. Their work has improved the charity’s carbon footprint and reduced their energy costs, which spiralled due to the energy crisis. Earlier this year, Solarsense completed phase three of The Brightwell project, including the installation of three Tesla Powerwall batteries and an additional 77 refurbished solar panels, integrated with the existing solar PV system, solar thermal system, and heat pumps previously installed by the company.

Solarsense has also partnered with the conservation charity Rainforest Concern to protect some of the most threatened regions on Earth. For every square metre of rooftop solar panels installed, Solarsense sponsors ten times the square footage of rainforest to support the charity’s vital conservation work. For more information, please visit Corporate Social Responsibility.