Challenge
The organisation, which specialises in working with disabled people to develop their independence and communication skills, set out a plan to reduce their energy bills by 15% and cut their carbon footprint. It’s a big organisation and it had the big emissions to match, with almost 1.2 million kWh per year. A solar PV system made good sense as a way to cut costs and give them an ongoing income stream, too. Portland College, is one of the UK’s leading education centres for adults with disabilities.
Our Solution
The job itself was complex as it was spread out across six differently sized roofs, each with separate electrical systems. Added to this, the roofs were covered in a variety of materials including cambrian slate, a notoriously difficult material for PV companies to work with.
We decided to cut the cambrians and fit the roof brackets first, before using lead flashing to maintain the water tightness of the roof and avoid any tile damage during the install.
The 772-panel system was fitted across six rooftops at the college near Mansfield, and took a team of eight engineers more than two months to complete, which was celebrated with a ‘big switch on’ at the college once the project was finalised.
Our team made sure all work was carried out around the college’s day-to-day running, operating courteously and being sensitive with noise and disruption throughout.
The Result
Now up-and-running, the system will generate an estimated 143,174 kWh of clean energy each year – equivalent to a 75,000kg saving in CO2 emission – for the 250-plus students who use the college for education, training, business support and accommodation. This will also help the college to reduce their expenditure on electricity, allowing them to reinvest it in back into educational material and technology.