New Spitalfields Powers Future Resilience With Major Solar Installation

New Spitalfields Market has completed London’s largest rooftop solar installation in a move that will bolster its long-term operational resilience and help secure the future of one of the UK’s most important fresh produce wholesale hubs.

Image: City of London Corporation

The new installation, delivered by Vital Energi, comprises 2,730 solar panels with a 1.4 megawatt-peak (MWp) solar array, making it the largest rooftop solar array in London by capacity. 

The system is expected to generate around 1.27 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually, which is enough to power approximately 470 homes.

For a market where reliable energy is fundamental to maintaining the movement and storage of fresh produce, generating more electricity on site is expected to reduce reliance on grid power while improving the 31-acre market’s long-term resilience against future energy pressures.

The project is also forecast to cut carbon emissions by around 225 tonnes a year, according to a news release from the City of London Corporation, which manages the market.

“New Spitalfields Market is a vital part of London's fresh produce supply chain, serving businesses and communities across the capital every day,” explained Mark Wheatley, Chairman of the City of London Corporation Markets Board. 

“This investment helps ensure the market remains a modern, efficient and well-equipped facility, supporting traders and customers while strengthening its long-term future.”

New Spitalfields is a nationally significant part of the UK food supply chain,  and relocated to a custom-designed site in Walthamstow, East London, in 1991.

The market’s 115 traders supply a broad range of fresh produce from over 100 countries to businesses across London and beyond.

Operations at New Spitalfields run overnight and around the clock, creating substantial energy demands for refrigeration, lighting, and other essential infrastructure.

Thanks to the solar installation, now every unit of electricity generated and consumed at the market is electricity that does not need to be drawn from the National Grid.

This will help to reduce pressure on the wider system while supporting the decarbonisation of one of London’s most energy-intensive food markets.

Image: City of London Corporation

The circa £1 million investment forms part of the City Corporation’s Climate Action Strategy, which aims to achieve net zero across its own operations by 2027. 

“Projects like this show how practical climate action can deliver benefits far beyond carbon reduction and are yet another example of the City Corporation delivering on its Climate Action Strategy,” pointed out Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman at the City of London Corporation.

“As the UK experiences periods of extreme heat and rising electricity demand for cooling, this project demonstrates the value of investing in local renewable energy generation.”

The project at New Spits also demonstrates how renewable generation can be incorporated into critical commercial infrastructure without compromising the role of the site as a key wholesale food hub.

The investment comes as wholesale markets and the wider fresh produce supply chain face increasing pressure to maintain reliable, efficient operations while managing energy costs and reducing environmental impact.

For New Spitalfields, the solar installation provides an additional source of locally generated power at a facility where continuity of operations is critical. 

By reducing dependence on electricity supplied through the grid, the project gives the market greater control over part of its energy requirements while supporting its ability to operate efficiently over the longer term.

For one of the capital’s key fresh produce distribution centres, it is an investment in the infrastructure needed to keep the market operating reliably as energy demand, climate pressures, and expectations around decarbonisation continue to evolve.