Work to install 63,000 solar panels across 26 buildings is well underway at the Port of Liverpool, with panels already in place on the new 240,000 sq ft Alexandra Dock Warehouse. When completed in mid-2026, the system is expected to generate up to 31MW of electricity, supplying around one quarter of the port’s needs, and will be the UK’s largest roof-mounted solar system.
Energy company E.ON is installing the solar panels, as part of a 25-year agreement with Peel Ports Group. The agreement will also see E.ON replacing five existing wind turbines with four new larger turbines, with the end game being for Peel Ports to generate all its electricity on site.
The new solar installation will be around five times bigger than the UK’s largest one currently, according to trade association Solar Energy UK. According to the association, many businesses which would like to follow Peel Ports’ lead are prevented from doing so because there is inadequate capacity in the local grid.
MP Bill Esterson, who is the labour MP for Sefton Central where the port is located and also the chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee, visited the port recently. Esterson said: “The sheer scale of this project is a best-case example of what is possible for UK renewables and demonstrates how we could be energising other commercial facilities and even communities with sustainable and reliable energy for the future.”
The Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee, which Esterson has been chairing since September 2024, has four inquiries currently open. One of these is ‘Unlocking community energy at scale’, which is asking for ideas on how to overcome financial and regulatory barriers to community energy projects, how the planning system should change and what energy grids and suppliers need to do to enable them.
One challenge is how to store renewable energy that is produced but cannot be used at the time or accommodated by the grid. Given the constraints of the electricity grid around the UK, we urgently need more means of storing renewable energy if we are to decarbonise our electricity supply.
A project at another Peel Ports site is addressing this problem. In North Ayrshire, Scotland, Highview Power will build the world’s largest liquid air energy storage (LAES). This is basically a giant battery which will store 2.5GWh of electricity which has been produced by offshore wind. Highview Power’s LAES will be located on Peel Ports’ Hunterston PARC which the operator plans to develop as a hub for offshore wind, generating jobs and income for the local economy.
Peel Ports has made a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, with a wide range of measures, such as switching to plant run by green electricity and increasing the use of rail over road - in addition to those mentioned above. Thermal Road Repairs is playing a small part in this, carrying out low carbon asphalt repairs at some of its ports to ensure the road surfaces are smooth and safe – while emitting less carbon in the repair process.
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Thermal Road Repairs: Decarbonising the asphalt repair industry
High output. Low emission. Zero waste. Permanent solution.
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