Summary
PMK Recycling asked EvoEnergy for support after a previous contractor delivered an oversized solar PV installation and backed it with inaccurate energy and financial analysis. The client was exporting a large proportion of generation and had lost confidence in advisor-led modelling, so rebuilding trust was critical before any technical decisions could be made.
EvoEnergy carried out a detailed technical review and designed a retrofit battery solution, a 50kW/204kWh system supplied by SignEnergy, to shift surplus solar into site demand and significantly increase self-consumption. The project also marked a milestone for EvoEnergy as our first DC-coupled BESS installation, delivered under strict DNO export limits.
The challenge
The core problem was that the client had been misled by incorrect assumptions in the original analysis. The previous installer modelled the site using a domestic load profile, forecasting self-consumption at 85% when actual site performance was closer to 40%. This misrepresentation meant the PV system was effectively sized for a consumption pattern the site did not have, resulting in avoidable exports and under-delivery against the business case.
Alongside the technical issue, there was a commercial risk, PMK Recycling had been burned once, so any recommendation needed to be transparent, evidence-based, and clearly explained. The retrofit also had to work within strict DNO export limitations, which ruled out straightforward AC-coupled battery options, and it had to be delivered safely on a live operational facility with frequent HGV movements.
Our Solution
EvoEnergy’s first priority was to rebuild confidence through rigorous technical consultation. Our consultant sat down with the client and walked through the previous contractor’s figures line by line, identifying where assumptions and calculations were wrong, and explaining how those errors translated into real-world performance gaps. By grounding the conversation in measured site data and operational reality, we established a clear baseline and aligned expectations before proposing any changes.
With trust restored, EvoEnergy conducted an in-depth battery analysis focused on solar load shifting, using the site’s commercial load profile and import exposure to quantify the value of storing excess generation rather than exporting it. We then implemented a retrofit solution that removed the existing inverter and introduced EvoEnergy’s first ever DC-coupled BESS, a configuration specifically selected to comply with the DNO’s export limitation requirements.
SignEnergy supplied the 50kW/204kWh modular battery system, enabling surplus solar to be captured and discharged back into the facility during higher demand periods. To support ongoing performance management, we also installed smart metering so the client could track system behaviour, validate outcomes, and maintain confidence that the solution was operating as modelled.
The Result
The battery retrofit was completed in one week, ahead of schedule, and transformed how the site benefits from its existing solar PV. By correcting the original assumptions and implementing solar load shifting through DC-coupled storage, EvoEnergy designed the system to increase self-consumption from the historic reality of around 40% to an estimated 80%, reducing unnecessary export and improving the value delivered from offsetting the site’s load at a high import rate.
The system is modular, providing a clear pathway to expand storage capacity in the future without needing to re-engage the DNO, if PMK Recycling’s load profile changes or further optimisation becomes commercially attractive. For EvoEnergy, the project established a proven DC-coupled BESS approach that is now being incorporated into frameworks as a preferred hybrid inverter and storage solution for export-constrained commercial sites.