Greater Manchester has 1,400 hours of sunlight every year. Every hour that the sun shines and you don’t have solar PV, your business could be losing money.

The Bee Net Zero partnership is on a mission to make Greater Manchester the easiest place to become a net zero business and they’re starting with solar, encouraging businesses to join them on the Rooftop Revolution.

With energy bills on the rise, the payback time for solar PV is a record low and many businesses are turning to the on-site renewable energy source to reduce their reliance on the grid and unreliable energy prices.  

The average payback time for a solar PV install is now between 5 and 6 years and the technology has been reported to save businesses between 40% and 80% on their electricity bills. Investing in solar PV can also reduce CO2 emissions by between 3-5 tonnes per year depending on the business and size of the solar rig installed.

The Rooftop Revolution campaign aims to simplify the switch to solar by helping businesses to connect with local suppliers, understand the business case, learn about potential barriers, and gain the confidence to invest in solar.

By bringing together the advice from trusted partners from across Greater Manchester including Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Green Economy, Electricity Northwest, Manchester Climate Change Agency, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP), the partnership hopes to become a trusted voice in the transition to solar, and provide businesses of all shapes and sizes across Greater Manchester with the guidance they need to adopt green tech.

Steve Connor, Green Lead for Greater Manchester Business Board (LEP), said: “For businesses considering installing solar on their premises – the time is now. It has enormous potential to help businesses save thousands on their energy bills while bringing down carbon emissions. Greater Manchester gets much more sunlight than people realise, and this offers businesses a low-cost, low-carbon source of electricity which can helps them save money and become more sustainable from the day of installation.

“Energy costs have risen considerably, but the payback period on a solar installation is only getting shorter. Through Bee Net Zero and its partners, including Electricity North West and Green Economy, all the resources to help your business install solar PV are in one place. The benefits are now too good to ignore – join the Rooftop Revolution and contact Bee Net Zero to explore how we can help.” 

Greater Manchester has a science based target to become net zero by 2038 and investing in solar could help the region get there. If every business with its own rooftop invested in solar PV by 2038, the region could generate 4.8m MWH of electricity every year. Not only this but the reduction in emissions would be the equivalent of taking 13.9m cars off the road for a year or planting 1 billion trees.

To learn more about how your business can join Greater Manchester’s Rooftop Revolution visit www.beenetzero.co.uk/solar

GM Green City Logo