CIS Solar Tower

The CIS tower is a 40 year old grade II listed building in Manchester and the tallest office building in the UK outside of London and about to becomce the UK's largest solar project.

In lieu of retiling, Co-Operative Financial Services decided, and in conjunction with their existing commitment to increasing the amount of energy they derive from renewables, to attach solar panels to three sides of the building.

Key Features

• 7,000 Photovoltaic (PV) panels were clad onto three sides of the 400ft high tower - producing 180MWh of electricity per year, enough to power 1,000 desktop PCs, and save 77 tonnes of CO₂.
• The tower has a positive visible impact on the urban landscape - having a shiny appearance.

Cost & Funding

The total cost of the CIS Solar Tower project was £5.5 million. A grant of £885,000 was obtained from the NorthWest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and a £175,000 grant from the Department of Trade & Industry.