Rivercircle Ltd has been manufacturing automation machines and mould tools from its plant in Peterborough, England for more than four decades. With a 40-strong team of mechanical, electrical, and software engineers, Rivercircle builds custom automation, assembly and precision machinery from concept design to final development.
To say that what they do on a daily basis is cutting-edge is an understatement.
Yet, in recent years, and more importantly, with recent energy prices, it was increasingly apparent that the business’s approach to energy was becoming outdated, posing a risk to both performance and sustainability.
An innovative solution was required to remodel Rivercircle’s energy supply and future-proof operations.
Project snapshot
Industry: Manufacturing
Channel Partner: Cambridge Roofers
System size: 221kW
Equipment:
520 Jinko panels
2 Solis inverters
Payment Plan term: 72 months
The problem
In 2023, a combination of factors pushed Managing Director, Jonathan Theobalds, to explore solar power.
The company’s high energy use was the first contributing factor. Rivercircle consumes 300,000kWh of electricity per year, with much of this going towards powering their heavy-duty CNC machinery.
And coming in a close second was that Rivercircle’s 5-year fixed-priced electricity deal was close to ending. Knowing that enormous monthly electricity costs awaited them, Jonathan was intent on finding a more cost-effective energy source. Finding one that was greener was equally important.
“We’re a supplier to Tier 1 automotive, pharmaceutical, food and industrial companies. And environmental sustainability is one of their selection criteria for suppliers.
We all have due regard to the environment and want to do what we can, so being able to do that – and also having improved credibility with our customers – was a big driver for us.”
– Jonathan Theobalds
The solution
Operating out of a 2,000sqm industrial building from the late 1960s meant that retrofitting an adequately sized solar system for Rivercircle’s plant would require some specialist knowledge. Cambridge Roofers was recommended for the project and began putting together a proposal as part of the tendering process.
Upon assessing the plant’s original roof, Cambridge Roofing Director George Sugden knew that a significant infrastructure upgrade would be required before solar panels could be installed. This would make the project considerably more extensive and costly.
Knowing that financing would be required, George reached out to Smart Ease Sales Director Gaige Ross for a Payment Plan.
“We were introduced to Smart Ease through the Open Solar platform. We met Gaige, who was really helpful. Being from a solar installer background he had a good understanding of what we were trying to achieve.
“We’ve dealt with other finance companies in the past, and they’ve been just a bit more generic in terms of the service that they provided. But Gaige was quite proactive in dealing with the client. There were quite a few direct interactions between the client and Smart Ease, which was quite important for moving the project forward.”
– George Sugden
Cambridge Roofing presented a comprehensive, one-stop-shop, turnkey solution that included roofing infrastructure upgrade, a 221kW solar system and a finance package that covered the entire project with zero capital outlay. This won them the tender.
The Cambridge Roofing team began work, first insulating and over-cladding the existing roof, before installing 520 Jinko solar panels and two Solis inverters. The entire project was successfully completed in mid-2024.
The win
Rivercircle has enjoyed a host of benefits from their solar installation.
According to George’s projections, Rivercircle will enjoy a 70–75% reduction in their overall energy consumption, and annual savings starting at around £50,000 per year with a forecasted approximate 5% per year increase in energy costs. That should net them £1,000,000 in savings at the 20-year mark.
So far, the equipment is working even better than expected. In September 2024, it generated 100% of Rivercircle’s electricity during the work week, with some of the weekend supply being exported back into the grid.
In addition to the many tangible cost benefits, Jonathan is proud that he can now call Rivercircle an early adopter of decarbonisation technologies.
“When you get an aerial view on Google Earth of the surrounding facilities and see that we’re one of the biggest in the area with solar panels…being trailblazers and one of the first here to embrace solar, is something we can be quite proud of.
It also tells our employees that we’re investing in the business. With a five-year investment project, it gives our employees some confidence that the business is here to stay.
– Jonathan Theobalds
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