How does it work?
The number of sunshine hours in Lewes is among the highest in the United Kingdom: 4.66 hours a day on average. (1) While the largest volume of electricity is generated during these hours, PV panels continue to generate at lower levels, even under overcast skies. This project will harvest this resource.
Ovesco Limited has entered into a partnership with a site owner and the installer of the PV array. We are working actively on recruiting more site owners to expand the volume of energy generated locally.
The Sussex brewery Harveys has agreed to lease the roof of its main storage and distribution depot in Daveys Lane, Lewes to Ovesco for 25 years, the duration of the project. Up to 544 solar PV panels will be installed on the roof to produce an estimated 92,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity each year, (2) save up to 893 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime (3) and receive up to £30,000 (4) (5) a year from the inflation-linked feed-in tariff (FIT) which the Government has undertaken to maintain for 25 years. (6) (7) Harveys will use some of the electricity, free of charge, for its operations, while Ovesco will receive the FIT and export the rest of the electricity to the National Grid. The FIT will provide the income from which Ovesco plans to finance local community advice and support, pay interest to investors, build a fund for repayment of investments and administer these activities.
Our partners
Harveys Brewery of Lewes is the oldest brewery in Sussex, dating back to 1790. It owns 48 pubs in south-east England, and is famed for its cask ales and its Celebration Beers. Since 1952 it has received 57 accolades for its beers. The company is well-known for its commitment to ecological sustainability and to the local community.
Southern Solar has designed the solar array in co-operation with Ovesco Limited, and will install it on Harveys’ roof. Southern Solar is a well-established firm with its headquarters in Ringmer, near Lewes, and in April 2010 a Which review of 14 solar energy companies described it as ‘the only one... worthy of mention for its helpful and sensible approach’. (8)
Read about the share offer, click here to download the PDF 
Click here to download the application form
1 www.metoffice.gov/uk.averages.sengland/7100_1km/Sunshine_Average_1971_2000_gif
2 Calculation of known electricity outputs from installations of known capacity for Lewes District, averaged, and checked with combined output/capacity for a wider region in the South East.
3 Derived from the calculation of carbon dioxide savings recommended by Renewables UK (ex British Wind Energy Association) and accepted by the Advertising Standards Authority after a court case in Dec/ 2005 which decided on the figure of 0.43kg of CO2 /kWh. www.bwea.com/edu/calcs.html
4 Derived from PVGI–CMSAF dataset, from EC Joint Research Centre, hour-by-hour and week-by- week power and directionality of sunlight in this area.
5 Based on calculated output, level of feed-in tariff and income from the sale of electricity not used on site (assumed 50% of output at not less than 3p/kWh).
6 www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/FactSheets/Documents1/fitfs_energy%20prices%20update%20FS.pdf
7 The solar system is to be installed before the deadline of 1st August 2011 announced in the recent Budget when the FIT will be reduced for installations of this capacity.
8 www.which.co.uk/news/2010/04/solar-panel-sellers-slammed-in-which-probe-212256