Specialist printers, label and fascia manufacturers, GSM Graphic Arts, have been zero landfill for over a decade and only use renewable energy through-out their operation. When they saw their customer demand increase and the need to invest heavily in new technology and machinery, we were delighted to support their further expansion and commitment to renewable energy and sustainability.

GSM’s main criteria for selecting new machinery is energy efficiency. In early 2020 a decision was made to upgrade the print dryers, a change that would reduce overall consumption, but increase peak demand. With peak demand now above the capacity of their current renewable energy supply, the project also needed to deliver increased energy capacity.

The company, who specialise in the design, manufacture and assembly of bespoke sheet metal, now have a 55kW roof-mounted system delivering 43,000kWh of electricity and saving 13 tonnes of CO2 every year.

Paul Wright of GSM commented, “Having spoken with several providers and visited ‘happy users’ we selected Geo Green Power on the basis of recommendation, the effectiveness of the existing systems we reviewed, customer feedback and the professionalism exhibited by James and the team.

Our project is fairly unusual in that we are using the system to manage peak demand and increase capacity; in addition to generating purely for environmental and ROI reasons.”

Alternative options, including on site diesel generators and sub-stations, were proposed but neither fitted with GSM’s environmental ethos.

In addition to the solar PV system, Geo Green Power will also install a battery storage system and an EV charger. GSM are expecting to see a potential saving of around 20% on their energy bills, which could increase once they have optimised the battery storage system.

If the performance is as expected, GSM intend to roll out the system across their other factories.