Seddon invests in solar at Plodder Lane: design and energy notes for project teams
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell
First reported on The Construction Index
30 Second Briefing
Seddon is installing a 1,800m² solar farm at its Plodder Lane estate in Edge Fold, with 190 rooftop PV panels, 400 ground-mounted panels and a 122 kW battery system to cut grid reliance by almost two thirds across its 1,913m² office, storage facilities and EV chargers. The scheme includes doubling onsite EV charging capacity, directly supporting electrified fleet and staff vehicles. A redeveloped 630m² garden with a vegetable patch and two beehives adds a small but visible biodiversity and staff-wellbeing component to the wider decarbonisation upgrade.
Technical Brief
- Installation across Seddon’s Plodder Lane estate in Edge Fold is scheduled to complete by year‑end.
- The Bolton construction firm is targeting a near two‑thirds reduction in reliance on the local grid.
- Battery storage is rated at 122 kW, enabling load‑shifting and peak‑demand management across the estate.
- Onsite EV charging infrastructure is being expanded by 100%, supporting both fleet and staff vehicle electrification.
- A 630 m² garden redevelopment incorporates a vegetable patch and two beehives for biodiversity gains.
- Fresh produce from the garden is intended for donation to local schools once hives stabilise.
- Staff are actively managing propagation and plant care, embedding operational ownership of the estate’s green infrastructure.
- For other contractors, the scheme illustrates bundling PV, storage, EV charging and biodiversity into a single estate upgrade.
Our Take
Across our Infrastructure coverage, Seddon repeatedly appears in low‑carbon schemes – from the carbon‑neutral homes in Derker (Oldham) to this Bolton solar roll‑out – signalling that its housing and estate work is being positioned as a regional demonstrator for practical net‑zero measures rather than one‑off pilots.
The combination of 190 rooftop and 400 ground‑mounted panels plus a 122 kW battery at Plodder Lane estate and Edge Fold effectively turns these Bolton sites into micro‑grids, which could give Seddon operational experience it can re‑use on future brownfield regeneration and business park projects such as Cheshire Oaks.
Given Seddon’s role supplying Instagrid portable battery units to CW Plant Hire, the embedded storage at these Bolton estates suggests the company is building a vertically informed understanding of both fixed and temporary off‑grid power, a useful differentiator as more UK clients demand low‑emission site energy solutions.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
Related Articles
Related Industries & Products
Construction
Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.
Mining
Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.
QCDB-io
Comprehensive quality control database for manufacturing, tunnelling, and civil construction with UCS testing, PSD analysis, and grout mix design management.