Leading meals provider, apetito, has donated close to 200 solar panels to Energy Garden, London’s largest community energy organisation, helping to power a new green community space designed to bring people together through creative and educational activities and granting access to clean, community-owned energy.

The initiative will use the repurposed panels to provide the electrical supply needed to run the site, creating a lasting resource for local people while supporting learning opportunities, biodiversity and community engagement.

The panels have been repurposed from the site of apetito’s future food production facility ‘Kitchen West’ in Trowbridge, which is aiming to be one of the most sustainable in the UK. Preparations for construction have focused on carefully deconstructing existing buildings, prioritising the reuse and repurposing of materials wherever possible.

As part of this approach, the solar panels have been given a new life through this project delivered with Carbon3 and hosted at Cultivate Colindale, a green space hub for community growing, culture and the circular economy, developed by award-winning designers Wayward and Notting Hill Genesis in partnership with Energy Garden.

Beyond generating clean energy, the initiative will support Energy Garden's accredited youth training and education programmes, helping young people build practical skills in solar energy, panel repair and energy systems while demonstrating how community-owned infrastructure can create both environmental and social value.

Agamemnon Otero, Founder & CEO at Energy Garden, explains how this project highlights the wider role partnerships play in delivering community energy and initiatives:

“There are 4,500 square meters of space here, adjacent to a park of 20,000 square meters, and there is no electrical hookup with UK power networks. By installing solar onto the roof of this green space, we’ll be able to power the site itself and create a place where 40,000 homes can access and engage with clean, green, community-owned renewable energy.

“The gift from apetito is more than just about reuse, it’s about enabling a project to happen that wouldn’t otherwise have the funding to do that.”

Speaking about the impact of the donation on the community, Lee Sheppard, Director of Corporate Affairs, Policy & Sustainability at apetito said:

“Social value is incredibly important to us; it’s a core part of our ESG approach. Being able to support a project like this, and make a real difference in the communities we serve by improving access to renewable energy and shared spaces, is something we’re really proud of.

“In addition to social value, there’s the environmental aspect. It’s key that we minimise our use of valuable resources, increasing our use of renewables and reducing reliance on fossil fuels, while reusing and repurposing wherever we can – this will all help create a more resilient planet.”

Tom Kendall, Associate Director at Wayward, added:

“The energy infrastructure that’s being created today is going to be an amazing resource for us, both as an educational tool to teach people about sustainability and how we can harness all these amazing natural resources, but also - in a really simple way - without solar power here we would have no power. Projects like this wouldn’t survive without these kind of partnerships.”

The panels will continue to generate renewable energy for years to come, making a real difference in Barnet’s local community through clean electricity, practical education opportunities and support for community energy initiatives. By giving the panels a second life, the project champions wider efforts to make better use of existing resources, with partners hoping it will demonstrate how reclaimed renewable energy infrastructure can strengthen community resilience and inspire similar initiatives.

Watch the full video around the donation, here.