Refresco rooftop solar program puts idle factory roofs to work
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Refresco has started a 21.5MWp rooftop solar program across 4 of its UK manufacturing sites. At its center is an 8.5MWp system at the company’s Bridgwater facility, which the partners expect to become the UK’s largest solar PV installation on a single continuous roof.
The beverage manufacturer appointed solar specialist GB NRG to develop, design, engineer, and deliver the program after a competitive process involving 12 commercial solar providers. Zestec Renewable Energy, which is owned by funds managed by Octopus Energy Generation, will fund and manage the infrastructure over the long term.
Installation at Bridgwater is already well underway. The system will use more than 18,000 high-efficiency modules and is expected to generate approximately 7.5GWh of electricity a year, around 17% of the site’s annual demand.
The companies present the project as proof that large energy users can turn previously unused roof space into a serious source of onsite power. The way the deal was put together may matter just as much as its size.
A third-party funding model takes capital spending off the table
Refresco is not paying for the panels up front.
The projects will be delivered through Zestec’s long-term power purchase agreements, or PPAs, backed by Octopus Energy Generation managed funds. Under an onsite PPA of this kind, the host business typically pays for the electricity it uses rather than for the equipment that generates it, while the funder owns and maintains the assets.
“Large-scale rooftop solar gives businesses such as Refresco the opportunity to make productive use of existing roof space, reduce reliance on grid electricity and make meaningful progress towards their sustainability objectives, without the need for upfront capital investment,” said Toby Smith, COO of Zestec Renewable Energy.
GB NRG’s role went beyond engineering. After winning Refresco’s tender, it took the 4-site portfolio to the funding market on the manufacturer’s behalf and selected Zestec through a second competitive process.
That 2-stage approach bundles design, delivery, and finance into one package. For a manufacturer, a single procurement exercise can produce a contractor, a long-term funder, and a route to onsite renewable power without touching the capital budget. The commercial terms of the PPAs, including their length and price, have not been disclosed.
Building on a live 24/7 factory brings its own engineering problems
Installing 8.5MWp on one roof would be a sizable job on an empty building. Bridgwater is a working beverage plant that runs around the clock.
GB NRG says it has worked with Refresco on a solution that keeps production running without interruption, protects the integrity of the roof, and maintains high health and safety standards throughout construction.
Those conditions often decide whether large rooftop projects happen at all. A roof has to carry the added weight of panels and mounting systems for decades, and any work above an active production line has to be planned around the people and processes below it.
“An 8.5MWp installation on a single roof is an exceptional project in its own right, and across the four sites we expect to deliver 21.5MWp of onsite solar generation,” said Jon Antoniou, founder and CEO of GB NRG.
The 17% figure also puts the project in proportion. Even what the companies describe as the UK’s largest single-roof system will cover less than a fifth of one site’s electricity use. Rooftop solar can cut grid demand in a meaningful way, but for an energy-intensive manufacturer it forms one part of an energy strategy rather than a replacement for grid supply.
Refresco links onsite solar to its customers’ emissions targets
Refresco makes drinks for global, national, and emerging beverage brands, retailers, and foodservice providers. It operates 85 production sites across 14 countries and employs more than 16,000 people.
That business model gives its emissions an added dimension. Emissions from Refresco’s plants form part of the supply chain footprint of the brands it produces for, commonly reported as Scope 3 emissions.
James Logan, managing director of Refresco UK, made that connection directly. “By reducing emissions from our manufacturing activities, we can also support our customers in achieving their own sustainability objectives and addressing emissions within their supply chains,” he said.
For contract manufacturers and co-packers, that argument may carry growing weight. Brand owners working to cut supply chain emissions have reason to look at how the plants making their products are powered.
Several questions remain open. Refresco has not named the other 3 sites in the program or given completion dates for any of the installations. It is also unclear whether the company plans similar onsite solar projects across its operations in North America, Europe, and Australia, and whether other large manufacturers will treat their roofs the same way.
