And yet, today, there is no wind turbine at PM Solutions’ Midlothian factory, and it’s unlikely one will appear any time soon. 

“The barriers were quite significant: size of turbine, planning permission, objections from local residents, position of the turbines, noise, environment – I had to do a bat survey – wind direction, wind speed, air traffic flight paths… It was endless,” explains Davidson. “My experience was not a good one.”

Davidson’s cautionary tale should be heeded by every printer, big or small, as businesses are under more pressure than ever to both green up and reduce their costs, making renewable energy seems like an easy win.  

“In return for the upfront investment, low carbon power generation schemes reduce network demand – saving on energy bills and grid charges in the process,” explains David Hunter, head of strategic alliances at Schneider Electric. “Additionally, ‘feed-in’ tariff subsidies per unit generated (whether for onsite use or sale to the grid) provide an income stream for the long term, long after capital costs have been recovered.”

But like Davidson, Hunter urges caution. He explains that companies can fall foul of renewables providers advocating inappropriate solutions.

“Seek truly independent advice, as there are a lot of technology vested interests out there. Start with a high-level options appraisal, then commission a feasibility study to determine costs and benefits of the chosen option,” he says.

Dominic Burbridge, associate director of the Carbon Trust, agrees. 

“The whole thing about renewables is that they are very site specific,” he explains. “Not just in terms of accessing the resource, but for planning and regulations.” 

Do your homework

So for example, putting a wind turbine up in the yard of your inner-city print site is not going to be a productive use of funds, as you will not get the stable wind speeds you will require to generate electricity. Likewise, if you only have a small roof space and it is constantly in shadow, the benefits of solar panels will be minimal.

In addition, Burbridge points out that there are fruitful and cost-effective measures that need to be taken before it’s worth exploring renewable energy. 

“You can take the waste hierarchy of reduce, reuse, recycle and apply it to energy,” he reveals. “So you would be as energy efficient as possible in the first instance, then you would look at investing in renewables. And then the last thing would be to procure energy you still need to buy from green sources and to offset.”

Hunter agrees: “Of course the cheapest form of energy is the type you permanently eradicate through energy efficiency measures,” he says.

It’s safe to say, however, that many printers will have implemented the first step already: such has been the pressure to bolster print’s sustainability credentials that the sort of energy efficiency wins still to be made in other industries have long been commonplace in print. Which leaves renewables as the logical next step. 

This step, however, is a big one; both in terms of knowledge and finance. As far as the former is concerned, Burbridge explains that the market is full of complexities and so you really do need someone in the company who is committed and enthusiastic about it to push through the changes and do the necessary research.

That said, there is plenty of free help out there. The Carbon Trust, Energy Saving Trust and Centre for Sustainable Energy are good first sources, and BPIF members can consult its 30pp print-specific Guide to Environmental Information and Regulations or speak to one of its advisors.

And as for finance, there are still incentive schemes out there and Burbridge advocates teaming up with another local business to share the cost.

“You could club together with the unit next door to invest in renewables,” he says. “For example, companies on a large industrial estate on the edge of town near open fields, could – in theory – club together to install a wind turbine, if a mutually beneficial deal was struck with the landlords.”

So if you are in a position to invest in renewables, what are the options? 

Solar panels

What’s the story? The consumer market for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels has grown enormously, in recent years as home-
owners seek to offset rising energy costs. They have great commercial potential too, according to Hunter. “PV solar panels could be attractive as they provide power rather than heat, fit well with relatively large factories with plenty of roof area, and can deliver capital payback in six or seven years,” he explains. 

Who’s doing it? After giving up on the wind turbine scheme, PM Solutions installed 90 panels. Plenty of other printers have done the same, including Denny Bros and Orkney Media Group.

More information Julian Coleman, quality manager at Denny Bros, says the company installed its panels in March this year for “sustainability, CSR, ease of retrofitting and cost-reduction reasons”. He explains that they have made a big difference but stresses they may not suit everyone. 

“We installed them together with voltage optimisation and this has been a winning combination and reduced our bills by over 20%,” he says. “But you should be wary if you have a lack of good daylight, over hanging trees, non-south facing location or lack of space.”

Burbridge adds that solar can be a very affordable option. “Someone else will pay for the installation so there will be no upfront costs,” he explains. “Those organisations recoup their costs by claiming the feed-in tariffs the government pays users of solar energy. It’s a good deal for both parties as the printer is getting free installation and free electricity.”

His only caveat is that you do need a decent number of panels to make a difference in a high-energy industry like print.

Wind turbines

What’s the story? These giant windmills are not as ubiquitous as solar panels but they are an increasingly common sight. Whether in wind farms or as single units powering an individual business, with the right conditions they can be highly effective energy creators. 

Who’s doing it? No printer has so far taken the plunge and installed a full-sized wind turbine, although a few printers may have small turbine systems on their roofs.

More information PM Solutions’ problem with this option is documented above, and Davidson says anybody thinking of installing wind turbine “would need to research the details thoroughly”. Hunter says other printers are likely to experience similar issues. “Wind is more site-specific, less predictable and likely to require a longer payback than solar,” he explains. Burbridge does say, though, that you don’t necessarily have to have a turbine on site as the power can be cabled to your premises. So if you are situated near a field where wind conditions and planning permission are more favourable, this may be an option. 

Biomass 

What’s the story? Biomass is basically where agricultural, urban and industrial wastes are burned to produce heat and electricity. 

Who’s doing it? It’s less known than solar and wind, but a popular option in industry, including papermaking. The most high-profile printer in this area is Barnwell Print.

More information Julian Barnwell, joint managing director at Barnwell Print, says the initial appeal of biomass was “the fact that we would be burning more of our own waste (paper off-cuts and pallets) or at least wood chips, and reducing the use of dirty expensive oil.” 

The company installed the capability in June 2012 and says it has delivered real benefits. 

“I did not expect to be able to leave it on 24/7 with no extra running cost than the oil,” explains Barnwell. “It has helped with quicker ink drying times and, by heating our paper store, eliminated ‘wavey’ paper. We also tapped into our existing radiator system, which saved the cost of running the climate control for heating our office. All the benefits expected were delivered.”

Hunter does have a brief word of warning, though: “Biomass seems attractive from the perspective of using waste paper as feedstock. But paper doesn’t have a particularly high calorific content and would likely need some processing to concentrate the raw material into pellets before burning,” he explains. 

Third-party green energy

What’s the story? Outside of the big six energy firms it is possible to find suppliers, such as Ecotricity and Green Energy UK, that will provide you with energy that has been generated more sustainably. 

Who’s doing it? Severnprint was Ecotricity’s first commercial customer and the company says it has several other printers on its books.

More information Sam Dickerson, business sales manager at Ecotricity, says: “Getting green energy from a supplier like Ecotricity is a good choice for anyone in the print industry: it can be a cheaper as well as a greener option. There is no difference between how your energy is delivered or its reliability – at Ecotricity we supply nearly 150,000 customers – you just benefit from better customer service and a smaller carbon footprint.”

Burbridge agrees that it can be a good option as a replacement or complement to your own renewable energy generation. “In some cases they can be cheaper than the big six,” he says.