Elephant Print and Display finds gold at the end of the rainbow, with Solar PV halving its energy costs
Elephant Print and Display expects to slash its energy bills by 50% and reduce its carbon footprint thanks to the adoption of solar power at its factory near Lewes, East Sussex.
Working in conjunction with its landlord Matthew Lundin, 600 photovoltaic solar panels were installed in a field behind its factory over New Year by local contractor, PDP Solar.
‘This is a fantastic initiative that over the course of a year will save at least 50% of our electricity costs,’ said managing director Jason Gadd. ‘We had been talking about it for a while and I liked the idea of running our presses using sunlight.’
The system is expected to generate 165,000 KwH per year resulting in an annual reduction in CO2 emissions of 64,350 kg. Mr Gadd added that the system was already making a contribution on cloudy winter days, although he expected it to provide much greater output in the summer ‘especially when the sun is directly overhead’.
The company has also upgraded its cut sheet colour digital printing capability replacing an HP Indigo 3050 with a reconditioned HP Indigo 5000 with white ink option. The new press joins a Xerox J75. The company is also upgrading its finishing equipment. The wide format side of the business operates an Epson Surecolor eco solvent machine for exterior graphics and an HP Designjet for interior work.
