More than a million kilowatt hours of green electricity has been generated in Beccles since 7,000 solar panes were installed on a company's roof.

The panels were installed on the roof of Promens Packaging's plant in Ellough last year by Lightsource Renewable Energy, which leased the roof space from the firm and installed the PV panels free of charge.

In return, Promens has benefited from substantial savings on its energy costs because it has been able to run a significant part of its operations on the much cheaper 'green' electricity it buys from Lightsource.

Promens engineering manager Adrian Banks said they were 'very pleased' they accepted the idea when they were approached by Lightsource.

He said: 'I think it has put out a very positive message to our staff and customers alike. It's difficult to say if business has been won as a direct consequence, but our greener credentials certainly impress when customers visit our site and see our aerial photos.'

Between July 2011 to the end of June this year they generated 1.2 GWh, utilised 970 MWh, and exported the remaining 191 MWh to the grid, saving �50,000 on their electricity bill.

Mr Banks added: 'These are clearly significant figures and we would expect the benefit to increase further over the next 12 months, especially with energy tariffs going up.'

Lightsource CEO Nick Boyle said: 'It's remarkable what can be achieved in such a short time and we're proud to have made a significant difference in reducing energy bills.

'Promens is a prime example of how commercial property owners and high electricity users can benefit from leasing otherwise unutilised roof or ground space to us with no expenditure and no adverse impact on existing business activity.'