Pottery manufacturer granted permission for new solar array

Denby Pottery has been given the go-ahead to create a solar array, which could reduce its carbon emissions by almost 500 tonnes a year.

The tableware manufacturer, based at Denby, has been granted permission for the ground-mounted 2 MW array, which will be delivered in partnership with on-site energy generation specialists YLEM Energy.

YLEM Energy led on the design of the solar array ensuring it would meet the pottery manufacturer’s load requirements for electricity.

The move builds on Denby Pottery’s commitment to sustainability. It already sends zero process waste to landfill, which already saves 600 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Dean Barlow, operations director at Denby Pottery, said: “The granting of approval for our solar array is very much welcomed and further enhances our commitment to sustainability.

“This is a key step in our pathway to Net Zero 2050, and we hope that further steps that we will need to take in the future will be equally well supported by our local planning authority.

“Denby is rightly proud of its environmental credentials, and we have a ‘Greenprint’ strategy for continual improvement in the environmental sphere, which influences many of our business decisions.”

Ian Gadsby, managing director of YLEM Energy, said: “With the increasing pressures on the National Grid, I’m pleased to see that a much-loved UK business has been given approval to guarantee a reduction of its carbon footprint.

“Denby now has a long-term solution that will not only reduce its carbon emissions, but ensure it is protected against any future fluctuations in the electricity market, and ensure this business is around for the next 200 years.”