Aviva has unveiled one of the largest renewable UK installations of its kind at its office in Perth, with the power saving equivalent of powering more than 500 homes every year. 

Powered by nearly 3,300 Photovoltaic panels, the combined solar carport and energy storage facility is expected to contribute to combined carbon emissions savings of nearly 400 tonnes annually. It covers 342 car park spaces that include 50 electric vehicle charging stations. 

It means that the insurer’s Perth office, the base for half of its 2,000 employees in Scotland, can go “off grid” for five hours every day when the national grid is at its busiest. That would use three-quarters of the solar power generated, with the remainder going to battery storage for later use, or exported to the grid.

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The project, which received £1.5 million through the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme, was led by commercial solar power specialist RenEnergy of Norwich. The 1.8MW storage system is underpinned by Tesla Powerpack technology. 

“It’s vital that businesses in all industries put words into action when it comes to tackling the climate emergency,” Aviva chief operating officer Nick Amin said. 

“That’s why we are taking strides to reduce our environmental impact and partner with leading technology specialists to make that happen. The Perth solar and storage initiative is a great example of how Aviva is innovating to secure a sustainable energy supply and support the electric vehicle revolution.”