Two scientists, one obsession: solar done properly.
Shires Energy was founded by Tom — PhD in Physics — and Chris — PhD in Human/Medical Genetics with 15 years of hands-on installation experience. Friends of 25 years, housemates for four, now business partners on a mission to grow the UK's installed solar base and the understanding of what solar can do for landowners, businesses, communities and charities.
Because of our scientific background and a decade-plus on the tools, our philosophy is simple: we will steward your solar system as carefully as you steward your land, built environment, and business.
Tom went through a PhD and the discovery of two new superconductors because he wanted to do something about the roughly 30% of UK energy lost in transporting electrons. He is a world expert on graphite, its defects and intercalation, which gives him an intimately detailed knowledge of the physical causes of battery failure.
He has worked with many startups as a NED, observer and investor, and understands their journey, and the value of reducing volatility and uncertainty wherever that is possible. His investments support deeptech, agritech and the combination of the two, with a particular focus on regenerative agriculture.
Chris has been installing residential solar for 15 years. He has never compromised on quality, and he never will.
He and Tom have known each other for 25 years, and lived together for four of them. Both are curious, detail-oriented scientists who believe the British solar industry can, and should, be much better than it is.
Chris is mission-driven. He became vegetarian to reduce his water footprint, and after exploring the origins of humanity in Ethiopia he turned his mind to the future of humanity and its resilience. He saw that the clearest, most pressing task with the best, most immediate outcomes is to install more solar, properly.
That mission is built on a long track record. Through AGMS Independent Energy, his family-run business, Chris has been working with renewables since 2012, installing more than 200 Solar PV systems and 150 battery storage systems across Bedfordshire and surrounding areas. AGMS is MCS Certified, a member of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code, and has been a Tesla Certified Powerwall installer since 2017 — winning a UK Tesla Powerwall Customer Service Excellence Award in 2022.
Bedfordshire and the surrounding Shires.
We install across Bedfordshire and the neighbouring counties, and we'll travel for the right customer. Every install is MCS certified.
There are many misconceptions about solar, and a lot of little-known details that turn out to matter enormously. We hope our writing helps. And if you'd rather just have a chat, we'd love to hear from you.