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Solarsense has grown from a twoperson outfit to the UK ’ s leading renewable energy company . Commercial Director , Ashley Wood expands on the company ’ s journey : “ We were founded nearly 30 years ago by Steve Barrett while he was still working as a heating engineer . It began with solar hot water systems , and then when Richard Simon , who trained as an electrician , came on board we expanded into solar photovoltaic ( PV ) as well . The business has transformed from a man-inhis-van doing his best for the environment to an ISO 9001 B Corp that , on top of promoting renewable solutions throughout England and Wales , provides renewable electricity for remote parts of Africa . We also partner with a rainforest charity and sponsor ten times the amount of rainforest as we fit in solar panels . We ’ ve gone from a small concern with two people to an employee-owned trust ( EOT ) of over 40 people which will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year .”
EOT benefits
Ashley goes on to explain the company ’ s services in more detail : “ Primarily we are a commercial solar PV installer , helping businesses and public sector organizations with expansive roofs , including airports , manufacturing facilities , data centres and warehouses . Refrigerated warehouses and cold stores , for example , are highly energyintensive and can greatly benefit from solar energy . We also specialize in solar carports and large-scale energy storage solutions , as well as ground mounted systems and solar parks ( these are the ones you see in fields as you drive around .) These systems range from 50 kilowatts up to three megawatts . Over the years , we have moved away from residential to focus much more heavily on commercial and industrial scale installations .”
Ashley moves on to highlight some of the benefits the business experiences operating as an EOT : “ I joined just over a year ago and it
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