Taste the sunshine: solar-powered cider

Brothers Drinks is now harnessing the energy of the sun to power its drinks manufacturing site in Shepton Mallet, Somerset where it produces much loved brands Babycham and Glastonbury Festival-favourite, Brothers Cider.

A 317kWp solar PV system, comprised of 772 solar panels is now installed at the cider mill in Somerset, where it will directly supply the presses with clean energy. The new solar panel system was connected at the start of June 2024 and is expected to pay for itself in less than 3 years.

Matthew Showering, Director, said: “Our family have been making cider in this area for more than 360 years and our legacy drives us to put sustainability at the core of our business – we are doing everything we possibly can to improve our environmental performance. Installing solar panels has always been an important element of this and we are delighted to see it becoming a reality today. As well as reducing our impact on the environment, producing our own energy will help us to stay competitive and continue to make great-tasting cider.”

Stephen Barrett, Managing Director of Solarsense, added: “We were delighted to have the opportunity to provide solar energy for such a well-known brand and Brothers Drinks have been a real pleasure to work with. The installation is a blueprint for how solar should be done: they have maximised their roof space and included features that will help to future-proof the system and make it easy to maintain. It’s clear that they are serious about sustainability and we are proud to be part of that story.”

Before installing the solar panels Brothers Drinks refurbished the roof of their manufacturing site to make sure it would last at least as long as the new solar panels, which have an expected lifetime of 20 years plus. The system installed by Solarsense includes the latest SolarEdge technology which connects it to the fire alarm and means it will shut down automatically if the alarm sounds.