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Group Solar Aug23

UM Group unveils solar panel projects in Hungary and Belgium

Posted on 21 August, 2023

Two companies in the UM Group have taken steps towards becoming more sustainable.

UM Argos Feed in Hungary and UM Tameco in Belgium have installed solar panel arrays at their respective facilities.

The solar panel projects form an important part of UM Group’s sustainability strategy which was launched earlier this year. The business is following a road map that will see it take several important steps towards increasing sustainability.

The 44 kWp solar power plant at the UM Argos Feed site in Hungary includes 80 solar panels with the possibility of adding more in the future.

The plant is expected to produce 49,616 kWh a year, feeding 9,625 kWh back into the country’s national grid during the summer months.

The UM Tameco site in Belgium has a capacity of 29 kWp for 64 panels, the maximum possible on the flat roofs available. Expected production is 26,000 kWh with the company potentially using over 90% of the power generated itself.

Dr Nigel Jones, UM Group’s Sustainability, Quality & Technical Manager, said: “These are two exciting projects that form a key part of our wider commitment to becoming a more sustainable business.

“The two schemes will reduce our dependency on the national grid of the respective countries by as much as 30%.

“The projects deliver financial savings and an environmental saving in terms of the reduction in carbon footprint because of the use of green energy.

“The installations also allow us to monitor real-time electricity usage and give us the ability to match the production from the panels with its usage.”

UM Group will be monitoring the success of the two solar panel projects with a view to installing similar systems at other sites operated by the business.

Nigel said: “We are pleased that the solar power plants in Belgium and Hungary have now been installed and look forward to tracking the results over the coming weeks and months.

“They will play an important part in our carbon reduction strategy and our wider desire to be a market-leading sustainable organisation, regarded as a responsible business and at the forefront of driving the change that is necessary to ensure a sustainable future for the sectors in which we operate.”

UM Group is part of W&R Barnett, a fourth-generation family-run business which is based in Belfast. Other companies within W&R Barnett are also developing their sustainability strategies.

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