Wainwright taps Wattstor for 2MW solar and 5MWh battery project

John Wainwright & Co. Ltd is partnering with Wattstor on a new onsite solar and battery storage system at its Moons Hill quarry in Somerset. The project is designed to cut emissions, lower energy costs and reduce exposure to power price swings while supporting the quarry’s expansion plans.

Why it matters: - The project gives John Wainwright & Co. Ltd a way to reduce operating costs in an energy-intensive business. - The system is designed to cut the quarry’s Scope 2 emissions by 50%. - The project also aims to reduce exposure to wholesale power volatility and improve long-term budget certainty. - The setup could help Wainwright support future growth with more onsite renewable energy.

What happened: - John Wainwright & Co. Ltd signed a partnership with Wattstor for a new solar and battery storage project. - Wattstor will install a 2MW solar PV array and a 5MWh battery system at Wainwright’s Moons Hill quarry in Stoke St Michael, Somerset. - The project is intended to help power the site with renewable energy and support the company’s long-term expansion plans. - Wainwright is a 135-year-old, family-owned quarrying and construction materials business.

The details: - The project will provide over half, or 54%, of the quarry’s electricity needs. - Wattstor’s renewable energy tariff, Price Protect, caps exposure to high market prices while still allowing Wainwright to benefit when prices fall. - Price Protect is also meant to let Wainwright use price signals to shift some energy-intensive processes to times of lower demand. - The battery and tariff combination are meant to give the company more control over when it uses power. - Wattstor said the grid would only allow 1MW to be connected under a conventional setup. - Wattstor said that limit would have restricted an onsite solar project to about 20% of the company’s power needs. - Wattstor said its solution allows Wainwright to use more than double the solar power that would otherwise have been possible. - Wainwright uses industrial equipment including pumps and bitumen tanks and also has a growing fleet of electric vehicles.

Between the lines: - The project shows how industrial firms are pairing onsite generation with storage to work around grid limits. - For energy-heavy operators, the real value is not just cleaner power. It is also the ability to manage demand, costs and supply risk at the same time. - The tariff component suggests Wainwright is buying not only hardware, but also a financial hedge against price spikes. - The deal may also strengthen Wainwright’s pitch to customers that environmental performance is now part of its competitive edge.

What's next: - Wattstor will deliver the project and enable the site to begin shifting more of its energy use to renewable sources. - Wainwright expects the system to support both sustainability goals and business resilience as power remains a major operating cost. - The company also expects the installation to create room for additional onsite renewable energy in the future.

The bottom line: - Wainwright is using solar, storage and a pricing tariff to turn energy risk into a competitive advantage.