One of London’s most important wholesale food markets is now generating a chunk of its own electricity after 2,730 solar panels were installed across five rooftops.
The 1.4MWp array at New Spitalfields Market in Walthamstow is the largest rooftop solar installation in London.
It is expected to produce around 1.27 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year, roughly equivalent to the annual electricity use of 470 homes, and cut the market’s carbon by about 225 tonnes annually.
That is particularly useful at a wholesale market that operates through the night and relies heavily on refrigeration, lighting and other energy-intensive . Generating power on site reduces demand from the grid while helping keep critical food-supply infrastructure more .
The project represents an investment of around £1 million and forms part of the City of London Corporation’s wider programme to cut emissions from its estate.