At Centre 81, a community organization supporting disabled and disadvantaged adults in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, solar energy is now helping sustain essential care services. By installing a 60kWp rooftop PV system using 96 AIKO COMET 625 Wp modules, the charity has significantly reduced its electricity bills while strengthening long-term energy resilience.
Rising operational costs were placing pressure on Centre 81’s grant-funded model and, for Chief Executive Alison Holmes, going solar was a practical strategy to protect core services, not just cut carbon: “As a medium sized charity with 58 employees we earn through traded income balanced with grant income. The energy saving we are receiving is money I do not have to find somewhere else and it allows me to focus on running the business rather than bidding for grant money.”
Delivered by Barrington Solar and financed through a UK grant scheme, the installation was tailored to reduce annual operating costs, boost energy self-reliance via on-site generation and battery storage and advance the charity’s environmental commitments.
With heavy daytime usage and an east–west roof layout, Centre 81 needed high-efficiency modules that could perform even in non-optimal orientations. AIKO’s N-Type ABC modules were chosen for their best-in-class output per square meter and their full-black aesthetic, well suited to a prominent community-facing building.
“The AIKO modules stood out in terms of efficiency. On a good day they’re delivering over 100% of our energy use,” Holmes explained.
In the first month alone, the system generated 4.63 MWh — covering 63% of the Centre’s energy needs and exporting surplus power back to the grid. In real terms, Centre 81 now saves an estimated £12.000 per year on electricity costs, funding that can be redirected to frontline community services.
Installer Sebastian Everett of Barrington Solar highlighted why technology choice matters, commenting:
“For a charity like Centre 81, performance and trust were equally critical. AIKO’s modules allowed us to maximize generation within limited roof space while giving the client long-term reliability.”
