Powering a Shared Island Project: WPE and Capper Trading’s Renewable Energy Hub
Applications are now open for the new €26 million Shared Island Sustainability Challenge Fund, delivered by Enterprise Ireland, Invest Northern Ireland and InterTradeIreland. It's a big opportunity for manufacturers across the island — and it builds directly on the first round of Shared Island sustainability funding, where we're already doing the work on the ground.
Wilson Power & Energy (WPE) is delivering the solar PV, battery energy storage, EV charging and HV upgrade for Capper Trading’s renewable energy hub at Tamnamore — one of the pilot projects funded by the Shared Island scheme, and one of only three in Northern Ireland.
Capper Trading’s Tamnamore site, home to the new Shared Island-backed renewable energy hub.
The project
Capper Trading manufactures animal feed and bedding at Tamnamore and runs a fleet of more than 60 lorries, delivering over 10,000 tonnes a week across the UK and Ireland. Their goal is clear: to become a carbon-free manufacturer in the animal feed and bedding sector.
The £6 million renewable energy hub, supported by a £1.39 million Shared Island Sustainability Capital Grant awarded through Invest NI, combines solar generation and battery storage across Capper's two sites on either side of the M1. The sites are linked with bi-directional technology, so energy generated or stored on one site can be used on the other — an integrated set-up Capper describes as a first of its kind.
Our role
WPE is the supplier delivering the core energy system:
Solar PV — approximately 3.7 MWp of roof- and ground-mounted solar across the two sites
Battery energy storage (BESS) —2MW / 6.688MWh battery
EV charging — including 2 × 500 kW high-power chargers to support Capper’s move to an electric fleet
HV upgrade — upgrading the site’s high-voltage infrastructure, which gives the hub export capability
Electrical design, installation and commissioning — our own team carries out the electrical works, with roof installation already under way
Testing and performance — a structured 12-month testing and performance protocol after handover, so the system is proven against its design targets
As a Co. Down business based in Dromore, we're also proud to be part of the local supply chain Capper committed to using for this project.
"Capper Trading's project shows what a manufacturer can do when it takes control of its own energy. Combining solar, battery storage and a smart link between two sites gives them cleaner power, lower costs and a platform to electrify their fleet. We're proud to be delivering it."
— Andrew Wilson, Owner/Director, Wilson Power & Energy
What it delivers
Subject to planning, the hub is expected to:
Generate around 3.1 million kWh of renewable electricity a year
Cut more than 1,250 tonnes of carbon from the company's emissions
Lower operating costs and, with 2 × 500 kW EV chargers on site, support the electrification of Capper’s transport fleet
The new €26m Sustainability Challenge Fund
The new Shared Island Sustainability Challenge Fund builds on the €20 million Sustainability Capital Grant awards made in December 2025, which have levered €63.5 million in private decarbonisation investment so far.
€26 million in total - €13 million available in Northern Ireland and €13 million in Ireland
Who it's for: industrial manufacturing businesses developing collaborative, first-of-a-kind sustainability projects
Four challenge areas: flexible industrial electrification; hard-to-abate climate technologies; water efficiency; and circularity, resource efficiency and the bioeconomy
Full details and application information are available on the Invest NI and Enterprise Ireland websites.
How WPE can help
Flexible industrial electrification is exactly what we do. If you're a manufacturer thinking about an application, we can help you build a strong, deliverable project:
Site energy data analysis and solar / BESS sizing
Microgrid and power system design, including UPS and power quality
Grid connection support and technical input for funding applications
EV charging, HV upgrades, installation, commissioning and ongoing O&M
We work across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.
Thinking about applying?
Talk to our team on +44 (0) 28 9273 2159 or get in touch online — we'll help you shape a project that's ready to fund and ready to deliver.