News story

16th February 2005

Local Firm Planning Global Impact on Solar Panels

Steve Webb MP and marketing
director Douglas Dalziel with a solar panel at the Yate warehouse for Genersys
 

Northavon MP Steve Webb has this week visited the Yate premises of Genersys, a company that makes solar panels, in order to help the firm break into the US market. The company already sells the panels throughout Europe but needs to obtain the approval of the American authorities before the product can be sold there. As part of this process, local MP Steve Webb helped by making a random selection of solar panels from the Yate premises which could then be shipped to the US for testing and approval.

One of the founders of the business is Douglas Dalziel, who was educated at King Edmunds School and whose family still live in the Yate area. Mr. Dalziel (pictured with Steve Webb MP) is now based in London but returned to Yate on Wednesday (16th February) to meet the MP and brief him about the importance of action to tackle global warming.

Commenting, Steve Webb said:

"In the week that the "Kyoto" agreement on reducing climate change came into force, it was very encouraging to see a local firm making solar panels which can make a real contribution to reducing carbon emissions. It would be especially good if this local firm could break into the US market, as America is currently the world's biggest polluter and needs to make its contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions".

Douglas Dalziel, marketing director of Genersys plc said:

"A typical solar panel system can enable a householder to get around 70% of their hot water for free and also saves around three quarters of a tonne of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere. A domestic panel can pay for itself within eight or nine years and is good news for the environment as well".