Food firm building solar car ports to cut carbon

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🗞️ Driving the news: Frozen food supplier Apetito is constructing 39 solar carports at its Trowbridge, Wiltshire site to support a growing fleet of electric refrigerated delivery vans
• The installation, which received retrospective planning approval, follows the demolition of an unused building and will supply around 15% of the site's total electricity needs

🔭 The context: Apetito, which delivers meals to care homes, schools, and hospitals, has already outfitted its facility roofs with solar panels
• The move comes as part of its broader net-zero strategy and amid renewed government calls for commercial sectors to embrace solar infrastructure
• Energy Secretary Ed Miliband recently highlighted the vast potential of car park solar canopies under the UK’s “Plan for Change” initiative

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: By powering its electric vehicle (EV) fleet with on-site solar energy, Apetito reduces both its operational emissions and dependency on grid electricity
• This approach integrates renewable energy generation with sustainable logistics — a scalable model for decarbonising last-mile food delivery, a notoriously emissions-intensive sector

⏭️ What's next: As Apetito continues its fleet transition and solar expansion, its model could inform similar rollouts across the UK food logistics industry
• The UK government is encouraging widespread adoption of solar canopies by supermarkets and retail operators, signalling a potential policy shift to incentivise solar infrastructure through planning or subsidy support

💬 One quote: “We’re immensely proud of the fact that we have successfully made this important net zero initiative happen,” — Lee Sheppard, Director of Corporate Affairs, Policy and Sustainability at Apetito and Wiltshire Farm Foods

📈 One stat: Once operational, the solar carports will generate 15% of the electricity consumed across Apetito’s entire Trowbridge site

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