Bentley Motors has signed a power purchase agreement with private-wire renewable energy firm Sonaura to power its UK manufacturing headquarters through solar power.

Through the agreement Sonaura will develop and operate a 7MW solar project to deliver green electricity directly to its HQ in Crewe via a private wire connection.

This means it will bypass the grid to “provide a secure, cost-effective, and sustainable energy supply to one of the region’s most important industrial employers”, said Sonaura.

Its chief executive Ed Pateman-Jones added: “By delivering locally generated clean power directly to Bentley’s Crewe manufacturing headquarters, we are helping to protect its operations from ongoing market volatility by securing a dependable energy supply.

“This project shows how industry and energy infrastructure can work together to create lasting value — strengthening regional economies and accelerating the transition to net zero.”

Bentley is the latest car manufacturer to power its UK headquarters though solar energy.

Last year Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) opened a 26-hectare solar farm to power its Gaydon, Warwickshire, headquarters.

The site, which is the size of around 36 football pitches, aimed to supply around three tenths of the site’s energy.

In developing the solar farm the car firm has also made biodiversity commitments by planting native wildflowers beneath and in between the solar panels.

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