Liberty Wines: A Benchmark in Environmental Leadership
The Challenge: Turning Commitment into Capability
Liberty Wines needed a solution that would allow for:
- Maximum solar coverage for their expansive rooftop footprint.
- Reactivation of dormant EV infrastructure.
- Future-proof scalability as EV adoption increases.
- Real-time control over energy use and charging.
- Intelligent coordination between solar generation and EV demand.
- Zero disruption to daily operations.
The Solution: Clean Energy In, Smart Charging Out
A partnership between Insight Energy, and SolarEdge (which acquired Wevo Energy) delivered a unified energy and EV charging infrastructure that maximizes solar utilization and enables smart EV charging.
Liberty Wines installed over 1,000 solar panels (515 kWp). The system was redesigned, optimized, and integrated into a single intelligent platform - feeding clean energy into operations and EV charging. While EV chargers had been installed during the site’s initial build, they had remained dormant; the software platform brought them to life, ensuring EV charging is now aligned with real-time solar generation.
Key Technical Solutions:
- Charger Commissioning: Previously idle chargers are now active and generating value via the OCPP-certified platform.
- Solar-Powered Charging: The system syncs EV load to solar peaks, prioritizing self-consumption and minimizing grid draw.
- Scalable Infrastructure: Liberty Wines can add more chargers without requiring costly infrastructure upgrades.
- Group-Based Billing: Simplifies billing for different user groups (company-owned vs. personal EVs).
- Mobile App Control: Staff can select between priority, scheduled, or boost modes via the mobile app.
Expected Outcomes
- Energy Cost Reduction: Intelligent charging based on real-time solar availability cuts energy bills and peak demand costs.
- Operational Flexibility: The system adapts to evolving needs, whether it’s new vehicles, new users, or expanding charger capacity.
- Business Continuity: The entire deployment was completed with zero disruption to warehouse operations.
- Sustainability Impact: With 89 tonnes of CO₂ avoided annually and a projected lifetime energy saving of £6.4M, the system underscores Liberty Wines’ leadership in sustainable distribution.
Conclusion
From vineyards to warehouse to delivery vehicles, Liberty Wines is embedding sustainability across its entire operation. With scalable, intelligent solutions - delivered by the powerful combination of Insight Energy and SolarEdge - Liberty Wines is ready for whatever the future brings.
