Outdoor wake park and climbing centre continues sustainability journey with new solar panels

Wild Lakes, based at Narberth, Pembrokeshire, has made the switch to solar power following a £40,700 loan from the Development Bank of Wales, via the Welsh Government-backed Green Business Loan Scheme.

The attraction is Wales’ first wake park, and is fast becoming Wales’ premier wakeboarding hub, drawing thousands of visitors each year. In addition to its on-site aqua park, it also hosts a large indoor climbing wall, and offers South American street food in its tipis. 

The new 20kWh solar array has allowed the owners of Wild Lakes to switch from powering the cables which create the artificial surf in its wakeboarding park with a diesel engine to clean, solar energy. In addition to powering the wakeboarding cables, there are also plans for the new solar array to power all of the cooking equipment at Wild Lakes’ kitchen.

The loan follows an earlier £50,000 investment from the Development Bank into Wild Lakes in 2023.

Mark Harris, co-founder at Wild Lakes, said: “As an outdoor business in one of Wales’ most impressive natural environments, our environmental impact is at the forefront of everything we do and we want to take every step we can to minimise our energy consumption and our carbon footprint. We know that this is something that’s also really important to our customers, who love the environment we have here and want to work with businesses and attractions who are working hard to preserve it.

“The support we had from the Development Bank of Wales meant we were able to switch from older forms of power to new, cleaner energy, and gives us the infrastructure we need to make similar improvements in future.”

Nakeja Howell, Portfolio Executive at the Development Bank of Wales, said: “Wild Lakes occupies a fantastic site among some of the best natural scenery in Wales, so it completely makes sense that they’d want to take a step like this to reduce the impact they have on their surrounding environment.

“The Green Business Loan Scheme is there to support businesses like Wild Lakes who want to take that next step but may not know where to start. It’s given them the support they need to switch from older forms of energy and set themselves up for similar changes in future, and we’re delighted that we were able to help them along the way.”

The Green Business Loan Scheme is open to businesses throughout Wales who are looking at cutting their carbon footprint or reducing their energy use.

For more information, visit https://developmentbank.wales/business-need/green-business-loan-scheme