Solar power firm signs boiler deal as sales soar to £12.5m

SOLAR Electricity Systems is branching into other forms of energy generation for the home following soaring sales during the Glasgow-based company’s second year of trading. The firm, which has installed 32,000 solar panels on 1,800 houses across Scotland, has signed a deal with boiler specialist Vokera to supply thermal panels used to heat water.

It is expected to be the first in a series of agreements to extend the firm’s offering beyond its core business of installing solar panels which generate domestic electricity.

Jim Kirkland, who set up Solar Electricity Systems in 2010, said the deal should lead to the addition of 15 to 20 members of staff within the next six month. The company employs 40 from its recently expanded premises at Parkway Point off the M8 motorway.

“This alliance with a recognised market leader such as Vokera will allow Solar Electricity Systems to continue to offer its customers the best green energy products, sourced from environmentally responsible companies, at the most attractive price,” said Kirkland.

The announcement follows a surge in sales, which reached £12.5 million during the year to the end of March compared to £712,000 previously.

“Over the past two to three years, there has been a phenomenal increase in the public’s awareness of generating their own power,” Kirkland said. “Renewable energy to heat water is a natural progression in a market where customers are looking to become self-sufficient.”