Follow Wave Sport as they have found a solution to help mitigate some of the increased energy costs in the current period. Below explains how Solar has helped Wave Sport with energy supply issues and also help reduce carbon footprint.
Since the pandemic, paddling has seen dramatic growth. When we were allowed out, many of us wanted to be on or near water and turned to paddle sports. So much so, that British Canoeing has seen a 127% increase in membership over the last two years.
However, this surge of interest has come at the same time as increased overheads spike for the watersports industry. Many businesses are still suffering from global supply issues as well as spiralling costs across the board, especially in energy and manufacturing uses large quantities of energy. As the price per unit of energy has risen, overheads have shot up for the paddling world.
Uckfield-based manufacturer, Gaybo Ltd trading as Wave Sport, has been making high-end kayaks since 1968. Today, recognised as one of the longest-standing businesses in the sector, the company has found a solution to help mitigate some of these increased costs and they are blazing the trail for the kayaking industry.
In February, Wave Sport installed 422 x 420W Trina solar panels for their purpose-built factory and has generated around 4MW of free solar energy in 10 days to help power operations, saving 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the process.
Wave Sport Director, Andre Goldsmith, says “We are excited to see what impact the solar has once the weather improves. So far we have seen reductions in our pull from the grid and the occasional short periods when we are in fact totally off-grid and operating under the power generated by our solar installation. We are carefully analysing our power generation vs usage but it is too early to say exactly how much we will see our bills reduce … so far we are putting our faith in the theoretical calculations that we have the potential to halve our energy bills over the course of a year.”
Paul Vine, Director of local renewable energy firm, OHM Energy adds “Wave Sport has made an investment in their business and the environment, and at current energy prices, they should recover their investment within circa four years. These solar panels have warranties for over 20 years and are predicted to save 1,795 tonnes of Co2 saved over that period. Going solar was not only a pioneering move for Wave Sport but also a smart commercial and ethical decision.”
