Cutting Carbon & Powering the Future: Draper's Huge New Solar Installation
3rd Feb 2025
Image credit: Absolar
Draper Tools is proud to have unveiled a landmark solar installation at its North Baddesley warehouse facility, demonstrating that heritage and green innovation can go hand in hand.
Green Innovation
Caroline Nokes, MP for the region, officially unveiled the site's new live energy monitor on Friday 31st January, showcasing how the 900+ solar panel installation is already generating 73% of the facility's power needs and has prevented over 40 tonnes of carbon emissions to date.
Speaking about the installation Matt Sheen, CEO at Draper Tools said: “This has been a significant investment for us as a business but one that we hope represents our commitment to the future and to sustainable business practices. We might be over 100 years old but we’re not standing still, we’re always looking to the future, adapting and evolving to meet the changing needs of our customers.”
Local Collaboration
The impressive project was delivered by solar experts local to Draper’s warehouse, Southampton-based Absolar. The Absolar team designed and delivered the project from start to finish, carefully placing 904 solar panels around more than 700 skylights on the site’s roof. The roof at Draper Tools North Baddesley warehouse is so large that the system uses a staggering 12.5km of cables to get the power from the roof into the building, and the installers clocked over 4 million steps during the installation process. Most significantly of all, the solar installation at Draper Tools means just over 100 tonnes of equivalent CO2 will be saved each year.
Dr Phil Wu of Absolar commented: “Draper Tools’ ambitious solar project is a perfect example of how businesses can lead the way in sustainability. By embracing solar power alongside their other sustainable commitments, they are reducing carbon emissions, securing long-term energy savings, and setting a benchmark for other companies in the region. We are proud to have partnered with Draper Tools to design, deliver and manage this high-impact installation, demonstrating the added value of AI-powered technology in helping energy users benefit from sustainable energy systems.”
Committed to a Sustainable Future
The solar installation at Draper’s North Baddesley site is part of the company’s wider commitment to sustainability, which includes ISO 14001 certification, recycling more than 80% of its waste and reducing plastic packaging. Find out more here.
