Solar Specialist Celebrates Completion of Major Rooftop Installation

(L-R) Sean McIntyre and Chris Lyall, Directors of SCJ Renewables

A solar energy specialist is celebrating the completion of one of the North East’s largest rooftop solar installations at manufacturing and engineering company, CMP Products, in Cramlington.

The major project, which is not visible from ground level, has seen 1,518 solar panels installed across the roof of CMP Products, spanning an area roughly the size of a football pitch.

The system is capable of generating enough clean energy to power around 250 homes and converts sunlight into usable electricity through 8 x Solis 110KW inverters.

CMP Products is a leading global electrical product manufacturer. Its decision to invest in the large-scale solar installation was driven by their sustainability ambitions and to improve operational resilience.

Major Rooftop Installation

The project was engineered to the highest safety and grid compliance standards and includes eight rapid shutdown boxes that automatically isolate all solar DC strings on the roof in the case of an emergency, such as a fire alarm activation – a critical safety feature for a site of this scale.

The solar installation will help CMP Products reduce its reliance on grid electricity, cut carbon emissions and lower long-term energy costs. Any surplus green power generated beyond the company’s manufacturing requirements will be automatically exported to the National Grid, creating an additional revenue stream for the company while supporting households and businesses across the North East.

Sean McIntyre, MD of SCJ Renewables, said: “This is a significant project, not just for CMP Products but for the wider North East renewable energy sector.

“There are not many rooftop solar installations of this size in the North East using rapid shutdown technology on this scale.

“As part of our turnkey service, we liaised with the Northern Powergrid to secure the appropriate export approvals required for CMP Products to export electricity at this scale,” he said.

Award-winning SCJ Renewables, which is one of the fastest growing commercial installers in the North of England, said that the works were an example of modern day, best practice.

Commenting on the installation, Kevin Glenn, Project Manager at CMP Products, said: “For a major manufacturer like CMP Products, solar power offers a practical way to reduce energy costs, improve sustainability and generate additional value from unused roof space. It is exactly the kind of project more commercial and industrial businesses across the region should be considering.

“We are now able to generate around 794,000kWh of clean energy annually and expect the system to pay for itself within around four years. To give that some context, a solar installation on an average home in the North East generates just 3,000kWh of clean energy annually.”

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