West Berkshire council invests in solar PV array
Wednesday 14 January 2009
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| The solar PV installation on West Berkshire Council's Newbury offices includes a display in the reception area that outlines energy production |
West Berkshire Council is boasting a new 11.2kW solar photovoltaics system on the roof of its head office in Newbury, following installation and commissioning by micro-generation specialists Ardenham Energy.
The 85 square metre installation was carried out following the award of a Low Carbon Building Programme Phase 2 grant, and planning approval by West Berkshire's planning committee awarded in December 2008.
The electricity generated is synchronised with the grid supply via a Fronius inverter on each of the three phases and will be used to supply energy to the building, as well as exporting to the grid for use elsewhere.
Harry Shepherd-Cross, Ardenham Energy's managing director, said: "We've done many projects for councils and many projects under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme."
"We had to come and go from this installation because of the weather, but all in all it took about a week to complete," said Mr Shepherd-Cross.
Array
Comprising of 66 Sharp 170W polycrystalline solar panels, the array will generate around 10,000kWh of electricity a year.
The installation also includes a display in the reception area which will outline real time energy production as well as cumulative kWh and carbon dioxide savings.
Buckinghamshire-based Ardenham Energy has carried out a number of similar installations on public buildings, notably a 10kW solar installation on its own local town council's building in Aylesbury and solar PV arrays on a total of seven schools and a library in 2008.
It has also installed an off-grid PV system on the Wild Waste Show Eco Bus last year, as well as a 5.4kW solar array on an organic farm.
West Berkshire council did not have anyone available to comment on the new installation, but its advice on planning suggests: "New Planning policies will in effect require on site generation of electricity, very high standards of energy efficiency and thermal insulation.
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