LUDLOW Brewery is toasting the success of new solar panels after receiving grant help with the installation at the brewery.

The Ludlow Brewing Company successfully applied to the Marches Renewable Energy Grant Scheme to meet half of the £24,850 cost of installing the panels on the roof of a warehouse at its base in Station Drive.

The solar PV system is expected to generate 28,868 kilowatt hours of renewable energy a year and save around eight tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every 12 months.

Project manager Adrian Marshall said with the 50 per cent grant contribution, the company could expect the scheme to pay for itself in energy savings in around four years.

“We are delighted to have been able to help the company with this scheme and drive down both their energy costs and carbon emissions,” Mr Marshall said.

“Schemes such as this are vital if we are to meet our climate change targets and create a sustainable future for generations to come.”

Gary Walters, Managing Director of Ludlow Brewing Company, said that solar power will help the brewery to be more sustainable.

“Solar power will play a significant role in our long-term sustainability goals, providing energy for our taproom and brewery - and, crucially saving emissions,” said Mr Walters.

The MarRE scheme is open to small and medium-sized enterprises as well as a range of other organisations across the Marches and can provide a 50 per cent grant towards the cost of installing renewable energy sources.

The scheme is managed by Herefordshire Council, supported by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Projects in the range of 4 to 200kWp can be supported. Eligible applicants include statutory and non-statutory public funded organisations.