SunGift Solar are celebrating today, after reaching the final of the South West Green Energy Awards – a highly prestigious accolade for renewable energy businesses.

The awards are presented to the best examples of sustainable energy in the south west, and announced at a glittering awards ceremony at the Bath Assembly rooms in November. SunGift is a finalist in the Installer or Supplier of the Year category, which aims to find the renewable energy installer that stands out as an exemplar to others in the south west.

What makes the news even more impressive is that despite the number of companies involved in renewable energy growing considerably every year, this is the third year in a row that SunGift has made it through to the final stages.

SunGift Solar managing director Gabriel Wondrausch said: “This is excellent news in what has already been an exceptional year for us. It’s always been our mission to deliver bespoke renewable energy solutions that exceed customers’ expectations, and it’s rewarding to be recognised for the hard work we put into everything we do.

From a one-man operation just six years ago, SunGift Solar has enjoyed strong, steady growth and is now an impressive forty-plus operation. The company’s dedicated team of designers, electricians, plumbers, roofers and organised admin staff all live in the Exeter area and focus on providing every customer with a unique solution that matches their requirements. Demand for SunGift Solar’s expertise has grown considerably this year, following the introduction of the government’s Feed-in Tariff, which generates customers a substantial amount of money for the renewable electricity they produce. They are currently ranked as the UK’s most recommended installer of renewable energy on consumer site YouGen (www.yougen.co.uk).

Some of SunGift’s recent achievements include the completion of an 81 kW solar PV array and ‘ground-mounted tracker at Darts Farm, near Topsham; a 10 kW system at Exeter School; and over 400 other renewable energy installations in the past 12 months. By the end of 2011 they will have fitted over 900 kW of renewable electricity capacity, which will save the equivalent of 360,000kg of CO2 and the equivalent of 8,482 trees being planted.

Rachel Hayes, events and communications manager at Regen SW, which runs the awards, said: “SunGift Solar have shown once again that they are among the best installers of renewable energy in the south west. The judges are looking for a company that, over the past 12 months, has not only increased the number of renewables’ installations that they’ve installed, but also explored new opportunities, carried out high-quality work, and is recognised by customers for their high level of service. SunGift Solar has shown these qualities in abundance.”