By Juliet Morrison2026-09-20T09:24:00+01:00

Source: Sharma Garages
Energy savings at BP Ward End in Birmingham are ahead of predictions
Sharma Garages is fitting solar panels and battery energy storage across its five sites after reporting savings of more than £12,000 in six months at its first forecourt to install the technology.
The operator says the £12,285 reduction in electricity costs at the pilot BP Ward End site in Birmingham is way ahead of its predictions.
Now, Sharma is encouraging other operators to consider following suit to tackle the high energy costs the industry faces.
When it installed the equipment in March, Sharma estimated it would save around £16,000 in the first year. The actual savings mean the business is already more than three-quarters of the way to its target.
The project, carried out by Leamington Spa-based 3A’S Consultants, combines a 63.6kWp (kilowatt peak) solar PV system on the shop and fuel canopies, with a 200kWh (kilowatt hour) battery energy storage system. It allows Sharma Garages to produce its own power and buy and store cheaper nighttime energy from the grid.
A split-rate energy deal allows the business to download electricity from the grid at a cheaper rate from 12am to 7am, and use that stored power alongside the solar panel electricity to power the sites when electricity is more expensive.
In fact, the battery allows Sharma Garages to operate without drawing electricity from the grid between 4pm and 7pm, demonstrating, it says, “the practical impact of integrating solar generation, battery storage and intelligent energy management”.
The results have given the business confidence to introduce the solar panel/battery storage combination at its other sites: Stourbridge and Sutton Coldfield are live now and Wolverhampton will follow. Also, it says that in 2027 it will introduce battery storage at Stoke, which had solar panels fitted two years ago during a knockdown rebuild.
At a cost of around £100,000 per site, the company expects to get payback within four or five years. Sharma urges other operators of forecourts – which tend to be energy-intensive – to consider tapping into “the commercial potential of combining on-site renewable generation with intelligent battery storage”.
By reducing reliance on grid electricity, it says, operators will be taking greater control over their energy consumption at a time when the industry faces further energy cost increases.
Installing a substantial energy system at live forecourts requires careful planning. Customer access, vehicle movements, staff activity, and the day-to-day operation of the site all needed to continue safely throughout the works.
Managing director Kumar Sharma says: “The wider rollout represents an important investment in the future of the business, with the potential to deliver substantial energy savings across the Sharma Garages estate while further reducing dependence on grid electricity.”
“Solar PV and battery storage are no longer simply technologies for the future. At Sharma Garages, the success of BP Ward End has demonstrated their commercial value today — and provided the confidence to extend those benefits across the wider business.”
 
 
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