Solar PV Case Studies

64 C21e solar electric roof tiles installed on Herne Hill School in South London (Solarcentury Installation)

• Date commissioned: 17th October 2006
• Technology: Solar PV
• Installation Type: Pitched roof
• System size (kWp): 3.328
• Forecast electricity generation / year (kWh): 2700
• Panel area (m2): 24.9
• Building integrated: Yes
• CO2 saving / year (kg): 1533

Herne Hill School is an independent pre prep and nursery school for 250 children based in South East London. In October 2006, the school installed photovoltaic's to both generate electricity and reduce carbon emissions from their building. Choosing to deploy the latest in integrated solar technology, Herne Hill is now the first school in the UK to have the award winning C21e solar tiles. Replacing traditional roof tiles, the 3.3kWp system is set to generate 2,700 kWh (units of electricity) each year and save approximately
1,500 kg of CO2; the 64 C21e photovoltaic tiles are now a vital part their new extension, covering 24m2 of the new roof.

The school wanted their new extension to be both economically and environmentally friendly, with sustainable construction principles applied, particularly with regard to energy efficiency. This high energy efficiency ensures the optimal use of the solar electricity.

In order to engage both pupils and visitors in the benefits of solar power, a custom display was installed in the lobby showing system output and performance.

Dominik Magyar, Headmaster at Herne Hill School, said: 'Herne Hill School is extremely excited about the C21e solar tile installation. An important aspect of the school's loving, caring, sharing ethos is to make the children aware of their environment and place in the world. Our new Solarcentury installation will help us to reduce our carbon footprint and give something back to the environment. The installation is a step in the right direction and coupled with increased energy efficiency we can dramatically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We are determined to make a difference to climate change and what better way to do so than involving future generations of pupils at Herne Hill School.'

Project: New Build Solar PV System (Schuco Installation)

Location: Liverpool, UK

Type of Property/Building: School

Technology Solution: Solar PV

Requirement:

The solar photovoltaic system was required to provide a contribution to the electrical consumption of the school and assist in lowering the carbon footprint of the development. As the school was a new build the installation was very straightforward as the roof was a kalzip type roof. This type of roof allows solar panels to be fixed easily and with minimum disturbance to the roof structure.

• Number of PV Panels: 8 Panels
• Output of each PV Panel: 320 Watts
• Weight of each PV Panel: 49 Kg
• Area of Panels: 21.55 Square Metres
• Peak Output: 2.56 KW peak
• Type of roof kit: On roof, portrait orientation
• Type of system: Grid connected with wireless display

Performance/Benefits/Savings:

• Energy Generated Per Annum (estimated): 1.91 MW hours
• Annual Saving in CO2 Emissions (estimated): 821 Kg
• Annual Saving in CO2 Emissions (estimated): 0.821 Tonnes

The Meadows Library, Nottingham (Schuco Installation)

The Meadows Library in Nottingham was refurbished with a budget of £1million funded by the National Lottery as part of the Community Libraries Programme, and reopened on the 10th August 2009.

One of the objectives of the refurbishment was to include energy saving features, and in this context SIG Sustainable Solutions provided PV panels to the project.

The panels were delivered on July 23rd and will provide 2kWp of energy per year, which represents around 1,800kWh per year when installed.