Raise a Glass for Renewables: UK's First Solar- and Wind-Powered Pub
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA 
on 10.30.07
Solarcentury is never far from our thoughts here at TreeHugger. Just recently we’ve covered the company’s latest investment drive to fund its product development and international expansion plans, and we’ve written about the opening of an office in Spain. Now we hear that these UK pioneers of clean energy are helping green the greatest of all British institutions, the pub. Working with major pub chain JD Wetherspoons, Solarcentury have provided their solar roofing tiles to the Kettleby Cross, a groundbreaking ‘green pub’ that also features a wind turbine (which looks from the picture to be the long-awaited Quite Revolution vertical axis turbine which we wrote about here), under floor cooling, and rainwater harvesting for flushing the toilets. Chris Large, JD Wetherspoon’s New Development Manager, described the impetus behind the project:
Sustainable Development is an important part of Wetherspoon’s expansion plans, and renewable energy has a large role to play in that. The company has set itself a demanding target of a 50% energy reduction in this pub, and with the help of Solarcentury’s C21e system and other energy saving and renewable solutions, it’s a challenge we’re confident of rising to.
The move is part of a wider effort on behalf of the chain that has seen them commit to a 30% reduction in energy usage across its 648 pubs, as well as other measures such as increased recycling, responsible sourcing of timber for paper use, and efforts to reduce mileage driven by delivery vehicles. We’ll be happy to raise a glass to any effort to support renewable energy and decrease emissions. Cheers! ::Solarcentury::JD Wetherspoons::via site visit::
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Cheers!
i want to go there one day... hehehe
Pub. Now that makes more sense. When I opened the link I thought it said solar- and wind-powered sub.
It's the first time I've ever had roof envy! I'd like Solarcentury roof tiles on my south facing roof...
Well done to JD Wetherspoon for leading the way...