A nature charity caring for more than 1,000 hectares is looking to reduce its energy bills by around a quarter after adding solar PV panels to its head office and visitor centre.
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust called in Clevedon-based Solarsense to complete the work after admitting that at first it thought it would be too dear. 
Solarsense, the UK’s leading clean energy provider specialising in solar PV and energy storage, has a strong track record in the charity sector, having worked with the RSPB and WWT, including at its Slimbridge wetland centre in Gloucestershire.
It demonstrated to Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, which has nearly 50 reserves across the county, that installing solar panels would be cost effective while also demonstrating its commitment to nature.
The trust works tirelessly to ensure all resources and reserves are environmentally friendly and that every penny raised works hard to drive recovery of nature and help it thrive.
Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust facilities manager Lenka Cmelakova said: “We had considered solar too expensive, even though we knew energy costs at our head office and visitor centre in Robinswood Hill Country Park [pictured] make up the biggest part of the bill.
“But Solarsense proved us wrong, and demonstrated we will see a seven-year return on the investment, and huge savings for decades after that.
“It’s estimated our annual bill (taking into account all seasons) will be reduced by around 25%.” 
She said Solarsense’s team were sympathetic to the trust’s needs and ambitions.
“We work hard to reconnect our visitors with nature and to show them ways they can help make a difference,” she added.
“And now we’ve added solar as a way to make a business sustainable to the list.”
Solarsense was established 30 years ago with a mission that was way ahead of its time – to support a clean energy future.
Since then, it has developed into a successful award-winning, B-Corp-accredited and employee-owned business, handling more than 15,500 solar installations and playing a pivotal role in the deployment of renewable energy technologies across the UK.
Solarsense founder and MD Stephen Barrett said: “We know one of the big challenges for organisations in the charity sector is handling stretched finances and the expectations of fundraisers and supporters who want to see their hard-raised cash going directly to the cause.
“That challenge – balancing future security and survival with immediate priorities – can be difficult.
“But installing Solar PV, even in phases when the site is large, can help organisations strike that balance.”
He said other charities had gone for initial low-cost options such as solar carports, which give visitors and staff the opportunity to charge electric vehicles on-site and while offering an opportunity to generate income from low-grade parking spaces.
Others were looking at ways to promote investment in renewables to secure a future and attracting a new kind of fundraising to match.
Solarsense’s clients range from owners of factories and warehouses to council buildings, community halls and leisure centres, and in recent years have included Glastonbury Festival, Bristol Old Vic, the Duchy of Cornwall, UWE Bristol, the NHS, Tesco and socially conscious toiletries retailer Lush.
