For the UK’s automotive industry, energy is no longer simply an overhead. It is becoming a question of competitiveness.
Manufacturers are operating in an environment where energy costs can directly influence margins, investment decisions and the UK’s ability to compete with production facilities elsewhere in Europe.
For energy-intensive automotive businesses, that creates a clear challenge: how do you gain greater control over one of your most significant and volatile operating costs?
At Olympus Power, we believe the answer starts with treating energy as a long-term business strategy rather than simply a utility bill.
The energy cost challenge facing UK automotive manufacturing
UK manufacturers have spent several years dealing with substantially higher industrial electricity costs than many international competitors.
Within the automotive sector specifically, the figures included in our latest automotive analysis show UK electricity prices at around 59% above the EU average, creating a significant competitive disadvantage for manufacturers operating here.
When energy prices rise, the impact doesn’t stop at the electricity bill.
Higher operating costs can affect margins, production costs, investment decisions and ultimately the competitiveness of UK-manufactured vehicles and components.
Businesses therefore need to look beyond simply negotiating their next energy contract.
They need to ask a bigger question:
How much control can we take over our own energy?
From energy consumer to energy owner
Generating energy on-site can fundamentally change the relationship a manufacturer has with energy.
Commercial solar, for example, allows businesses to generate electricity directly from otherwise underutilised roof or land space.
But solar is only one part of the picture.
Depending on the site, energy demand and future plans, an automotive energy strategy could incorporate:
- Roof or ground-mounted solar
- Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
- Voltage Optimisation
- EV charging infrastructure
- Microgrids
- Grid-constraint solutions
- Energy monitoring and optimisation
This is where Olympus Power’s Energy Concierge approach comes in.
Rather than beginning with a particular technology, we start with the organisation: its energy consumption, infrastructure, commercial objectives, site constraints and plans for the future.
From there, we can assess which combination of technologies and financing structures makes commercial sense.
What can this look like in practice?
Olympus Power has already delivered renewable energy projects across the UK automotive sector, including projects for Lawrence David, Sertec and Cambria Automobiles.
Lawrence David
For commercial trailer manufacturer Lawrence David, Olympus Power delivered a 530kW commercial rooftop solar array.
The project was structured through a Power Purchase Agreement and is reported in the portfolio as delivering up to 30% energy bill savings each year, alongside approximately 350 tonnes of annual CO₂ savings.
Sertec
For automotive components manufacturer Sertec, the solution was larger again: a 1MW commercial rooftop solar array.
The portfolio reports energy bill savings of up to 66%, demonstrating the scale of the commercial opportunity that can exist when large industrial roof space is turned into an energy-generating asset.
Cambria Automobiles
Our work with Cambria Automobiles demonstrates another important point: energy strategies don’t necessarily need to be confined to one building.
A 1.3MW commercial rooftop solar programme was delivered across 12 sites, using a capital expenditure model.
Individual installations ranged from 56 panels at Oldham to 605 panels at Maidstone, with the portfolio recording energy bill savings of up to 35% across the programme.
For businesses operating multiple manufacturing facilities, dealerships, warehouses or distribution sites, looking at the estate collectively can uncover opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
Funding energy infrastructure without compromising growth
One of the biggest barriers to renewable energy investment is often assumed to be capital.
But installing renewable infrastructure doesn’t necessarily mean funding the entire project upfront.
Olympus Power can structure projects around different financial models depending on the organisation’s priorities.
CAPEX allows businesses to own the asset and invest upfront, typically providing the greatest level of operational control and long-term return.
Asset Finance enables businesses to spread the investment over an agreed period, helping preserve working capital while building ownership of their energy infrastructure.
Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) can provide access to solar with zero upfront capital investment, with the organisation instead purchasing the electricity generated at an agreed rate.
The right answer isn’t the same for every manufacturer.
That’s precisely why financing needs to form part of the energy strategy from the beginning.
Energy resilience matters too
Reducing cost is understandably one of the first reasons businesses investigate renewable energy.
But the conversation is becoming broader.
Electrification, EV infrastructure, automation and increasingly energy-intensive manufacturing processes are changing how much electricity businesses require and when they require it.
At the same time, grid capacity can constrain expansion at some sites.
Solar, battery storage, microgrids, voltage optimisation and other technologies can therefore form part of a much wider infrastructure strategy designed around cost, capacity, resilience and future growth.
The question isn’t simply:
“How much could solar save us?”
It’s:
“What will our business need from its energy infrastructure over the next 10, 20 or 30 years?”
Your Energy Concierge
Olympus Power has been operating since 1979 and has now completed more than 1,000 installations for over 100 customers, with its projects helping reduce more than one million tonnes of CO₂.
Today, our role goes far beyond installing renewable technology.
As your Energy Concierge, we can support the entire journey — from initial energy assessment and feasibility through system design, engineering and finance to installation, monitoring, maintenance and long-term optimisation.
For UK automotive businesses facing high energy costs and increasing pressure to remain internationally competitive, taking greater control of energy could become one of the most important commercial decisions of the decade.
Ready to explore what that could look like for your sites? Get in touch with Olympus Power to start building your energy strategy.