Solarcentury connects UK’s largest community-owned solar roof system
Solarcentury has installed a sizeable 712kW roof solar PV system for social enterprise Low Carbon Hub. The system has been built on the roof of a factory owned by CTG, a site of UTC Aerospace Systems, in Oxfordshire. The solar system will generate enough solar electricity to meet the energy consumption of 150 average-sized UK homes every year.
The roof of UTC’s modern building presented some complex challenges – Solarcentury had to ensure that the existing roof warranty was not invalidated. This required close communication with the roof manufacturer regarding compliance with Solarcentury’s PV mounting system. There were also specific health and safety considerations given the construction took place at a live working site. Crane lift operations were scheduled for weekends when the site was quieter. Over 60 roof lights, a major hazard when working at height, were covered to protect workers.
Suzanna Lashford, Head of UK Commercial Sales at Solarcentury commented, “Low Carbon Hub chose to work with Solarcentury for this project because of our extensive EPC experience – the company was ranked earlier this year as the number 1 EPC contractor in the UK. We also have considerable experience of working with community energy groups – we have now delivered similar community-owned projects for several co-operatives around the UK.”
The construction phase took just three weeks although a typical build time for a system of this size would be around 4-5 weeks. The speedy install was helped by Solarcentury’s positive relationship with the installation contractor, as well as careful planning, organising and excellent communication between all project partners.
Tim Crisp, Business Project Manager, Low Carbon Hub said, “This is the second community energy project we have completed with Solarcentury. You’ll see from the stunning footage of the installation how beautiful the solar system looks – it was also skilfully planned, procured and executed. We’re looking forward to working with Solarcentury again to develop more energy for public good.”
Source:solarcentury
