A BREWERY based in North Yorkshire has installed thousands of solar panels to help fuel its operations.

John Smith's brewery in Tadcaster has had more than 4,000 solar panels fixed to its roof in recent weeks, which operators Heineken hope will generate about 876 megawatt hours each year - or enough energy to power 185 homes.

The panels became active on Friday, October 10, and cover an area roughly the same size as five Olympic swimming pools, making the facility the biggest solar panel installation at any brewery in the UK.

Martin Kochl, Tadcaster’s brewery manager, said: "Sourcing the power we need to make our beers and cider from renewable energy sources like solar energy help us to reduce the environmental impact of our business and forms a key part of our sustainability programme, Brewing a Better World.”

Nigel Adams, MP for Selby and Ainsty, attended the launch of the panels and said: "Heineken’s investment is a strong endorsement of the role renewable energy can play in the community. This is a truly innovative and exciting development for the brewery and wider Tadcaster area, which I welcome whole-heartedly."

Dany de Zeeuw, sales director at SolarAccess Sustainable Energy - the designer and developer behind the solar panels - said: "Tadcaster will be the sixth solar project we’ve installed on a Heineken brewery worldwide. We’re excited to bring solar energy to Tadcaster."