Two Rennicks Off Grid Power Solutions (OGPS) have been installed at NYHighways to help them meet their environmental goals both now and in the future.
Sustainability is naturally (and quite rightly) at the top of many agendas – including that of NYHighways, North Yorkshire County Council’s maintenance provider which is wholly owned by the County Council. While maintaining a close working relationship with the local authority, NYHighways operates as a separate private, commercial business, which allows money to be re-invested back into North Yorkshire’s economy.
The company has a robust sustainability policy accompanied by an innovations fund, which enables monies from the sale of old, carbon-consuming assets to be put towards eco-friendly initiatives. As part of this scheme NYHighways are investing in sustainable, off-grid energy solutions which will decrease reliance on on-grid electricity, a concern which has come into sharper focus in recent months due to the increase in costs associated with the ongoing fuel crisis.
As a company, NYHighways made the decision at mobilisation to move away from using power tools and equipment that needed fossil fuels to power them, so they have switched over to a range of battery powered tools as part of their environmental policy. The off-grid power sources then take this transition even further, as they are now able to harness nature-based energy sources to charge the batteries.
The OGPS harnesses wind and solar power via a hybrid unit which is completely free of an external power source, storing energy which will be then used to power some lighting and tools overnight, ready for NYHighways staff to use in the morning. This independent power platform is typically located in urban or remote areas, offering a complete renewable package which is easier and more cost-effective to install than many alternatives currently on the market.
One OGPS has been installed at their Boroughbridge depot, with another based at their Selby depot – and there are plans to install further OGPS units across the NYHighways network in the future.
Speaking about the influence of the renewable energy initiative and his experience of the Rennicks process and products, Managing Director at NYHighways Ross Bullerwell said, “NYHighways have innovation at the forefront of the business; working with Rennicks to install these renewable energy sources at two of our depots is a great start towards our 5-year carbon plan roll out and is helping North Yorkshire County Council’s aim to become a net zero local authority by 2030. The off-grid solutions will reduce NYHighways’ reliance on electricity, and we hope to roll these out across other depots if the project is a success.”
Rennicks Sales Director Rob Tait added, “This is a fantastic and innovative step forward for NYHighways and we are delighted to be providing a reliable and future-proof solution which will support and help them meet their sustainability goals. Now more than ever, greener energy sources are coming into sharper focus as they save public service bodies money as well as lessening environmental impact – two very important priorities. We’re looking forward to continuing to support NYHighways and look forward to further rolling out this initiative across the network soon.”
