At Emerge, we really do get excited about new installations – and we’re just as passionate about what happens after the scaffolding comes down.
That’s why our recent work at Unusual Rigging’s Northamptonshire head office has been such a perfect example of what ‘evolved on-site renewables’ looks like in the commercial world. Unusual now has three solar PV systems powering their operation. We have delivered maintenance works on their original system, alongside a new solar system to support the next chapter of their sustainability journey.
If that sounds like a simple story of just ‘another solar job’… it isn’t. Because Unusual has continually invested in becoming the living demonstration of how businesses can embed sustainability deeply into their operation and environment by focusing on circular economy and low-carbon principles, and a site like this demands more than a tick-box approach.
A site designed to challenge the old way of building
What makes this story unique is that Unusual’s new award-winning HQ in Bugbrooke has been widely talked about in the construction and sustainability world because it’s rooted in circular economy principles – designed with the idea that materials should have a life after the building, not just during it.
The building’s structure leans heavily into low-carbon design, including a timber frame and biogenic materials, with a strong focus on designing out waste and planning for future adaptability.
That bigger ambition matters, because it changes how you think about energy too. Solar PV fits that philosophy brilliantly – but only if it performs, year after year, not just on commissioning day.
The unglamorous truth
There’s a quiet myth in the market that once solar is installed, it just ‘prints savings’ for its lifetime and beyond. In reality, PV systems are industrial assets. They are situated outside, facing all elements from wind, rain, heat cycles, bird debris, shading changes, component wear, firmware issues and grid variability. That’s before you even get into the internal and operational side: building use changes, operating hours shift and energy demand profiles evolve.
Without proactive maintenance, even a well-designed system can decline in efficiencies – underperforming in ways that aren’t obvious until you compare generation data properly.
This is where Emerge comes in.
Charlotte Ward – Director
Emerge Renewable Solutions
What we delivered – and why it matters
At Unusual, our work has not only been about delivering the new system to expand the site’s renewable generation responsibly, but by also protecting the value of existing solar investments to ensure overall health and energy efficiency.
Maintenance isn’t just a ‘nice to have’ – it’s a discipline and commitment. It means approaching PV like a performance system, not a rooftop decoration. It’s checking the health of key components, verifying that systems are operating as expected, spotting early signs of degradation, and making sure the site team has confidence in what the data is telling them.
And when a site grows from one array to two, then to three, the need for that discipline increases – because energy becomes a bigger part of the operational strategy. You’re not just reducing bills; you’re shaping resilience and controlling risk.
Pushing the boundaries
There’s something powerful about a local business pushing the boundaries of sustainable construction – and choosing local specialists to contribute to making it real is a true privilege for us at Emerge.
Unusual’s circular economy approach to the site is a bold statement: that the future of industry doesn’t have to be ‘build, consume, discard’. The reality is, ambitious buildings still rely on the basics being done exceptionally well. And that includes solar needing maintenance and optimisation.
Tom Harper, Managing Director of Unusual, said: “We were pleased to welcome Emerge to our site to contribute to the circular economy story we continue to build. Emerge took full responsibility for the process of installation through to online portal set up. Having experienced alternative suppliers in the past, I can safely say Emerge are by far the best at customer service.”
For us at Emerge, this is the work we encourage more Northamptonshire businesses to consider: not just installing renewables but operating them like mission-critical assets.
Partnering with a business that understands your holistic goals and strives to support you now, and in the years to come, is key.
Because the most sustainable system isn’t just the newest one. It is equally the one that still performs – quietly, reliably and measurably – ten, twenty years from now.
Call the Emerge Renewables Solutions team on 0333 188 2114 or email charlotte@emerge-renewables.com to arrange a call to discuss your requirements, or visit the website here.
