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It’s Good to Talk… To Your Distribution Network Operator

The UK’s electricity grid faces a significant problem with connection capacity. Some areas are heavily congested, which can lead to significant connection delays as the core infrastructure is upgraded to support additional generation. In short, some projects will be told there is no grid connection and face a multi-year wait (2030 and beyond), and what could be significant contributory costs, before a space opens up. We recommend liaising with the DNO at the earliest possible convenience to find out if grid connection is possible, but even if you receive a no, don’t panic! We have worked with clients who have initially received a “no” from their DNO, but have worked with them to create innovative and viable projects which have been successfully delivered .

You should also remember that projects over 1MW trigger a full statement of works review, which can take up to 18 months, so this needs to be factored into your timescales.

Also, remember if you’re exporting to the grid, you’ll need to submit a full G99 application. The feedback from this will dictate if you need to pay for upgrades and notify you of what you need to do to gain full compliance.

Planning is a Process… Not a Hurdle

Again, early engagement is key.  When we’re acting on behalf of a client our first course of action is to reach out to the planners and talk through what we’ve got in mind.  Then you’ll have a decision to make about whether to go for outline planning permission, or full planning permission.

If you opt for outline planning permission initially, it will give an opportunity for people to react to your scheme.  These range from utilities, national grid, fire, transport and rail, but also local residents.  If done properly this will allow you to identify any objections and address them so that when your full planning application goes in, you’ll have addressed any potential issues.

Planning officers can only make decisions based on the information you give them, so make sure you’ve got the right drawings which include complex layout drawings, GRP enclosures, containment and the routes of your LV/HV cabling. For the frames themselves, planners will need elevation drawings so they can assess how it will sit in the landscape. Detailed design and access statements are also required to provide a comprehensive overview of the scheme.

You may also need to produce ecology surveys, environmental impact assessments and biodiversity plans, showing a net biodiversity gain of at least 10%.

One thing which planners take very seriously is the loss of car parking spaces, especially for organisations with lots of visitors, such as hospitals or universities.  Take every effort to reduce any parking space losses, which can include redrawing and reconfiguring your car park.

If you’re not an expert in planning, your contractor should be able to help you at every stage, or handle the entire process for you.

Understand The Quality of Your Ground

It may not be the most exciting topic, but the quality of the ground which your project will be built on is essential. Understand it and you can create the ideal design, but if you don’t, you can be in for some nasty and expensive surprises.

If your car park is built on “made ground”, or land which has been raised artificially by deposits such as building rubble, then it may not be able to support a solar car port without significant piling or use of concrete ballasts. Simple trial holes early in the project will enable your contractor to assess the ground and the extent of the groundworks necessary to provide a stable base.

Also, check the topography of your land. Solar carports should not be installed at an angle, so if your car park is sloping, your piling system will need to account for this.

Most clients should have an exhaustive map of existing services on their estate, but we find that this can sometimes have been lost or is incomplete. This can lead to unexpected clashes of services and costly delays whilst alternative routes are planned.

If you have an understanding of existing services, that is great. If not, a ground penetrating radar survey will allow you to map all services and avoid clashes, or the potentially expensive solutions needed to overcome them.

All of this advice comes under the simple heading of “Be prepared” and will give you the best chance of a successful project delivered with no nasty surprises.

Making Your Idea a Reality

If you’ve used the preconstruction period to survey your land and buildings, liaised with planners, spoken to the DNO and got a robust design in place then you have a strong basis to begin your project, but there are some things you’ll need to remember…

Your contractor will need a location to set up a compound, but also secure storage.  This is essential as solar panels are valuable and can be a target for theft and finding the right location and security measures are paramount.

Depending on the size of your project, you’ll probably have lots of equipment delivered.  Make sure you schedule this for when it will have the least impact and make sure you don’t have large trucks coming and going during core commuter or school run times.

The golden rule with deliveries should be “as few as possible during the quietest periods you can find.”

Depending on the size of your project, you should use a phased approach.  No client wants to lose complete access to their car park, so by delivering the project in phases, you can maintain access and minimise disruption for service users.  Always aim to allow access to the maximum number of car parking spaces at any time.

If you project will result in a road closure, you’ll need a detailed and robust traffic management and you’ll need permission from the Highways Agency.  Once again, our advice is talk to them as early as you can so you can build a plan which will create as little disruption as possible to residents and commuters.

Integrating With Your Existing Electrical Infrastructure

Solar Car Ports are not a plug and play system.  They need to be integrated with your existing electrical infrastructure, which in our experience, is generally operating at close to capacity.  You may need to extend your switchgear or add another board completely.  It’s essential you know if this is the case as it will incur budget implications.

How close your solar carports are to where the electricity will be used will dictate if you install a high voltage or low voltage cabling system.  If the distance is shorter, you can use low voltage.  If it’s further, you may need to use high voltage, which will mean you will need transformers and you will need to give thought to where they will be situated.

An experienced contractor will be able to design a full integration package as part of the design process to ensure your solar car port scheme integrates perfectly with your existing infrastructure.

Have You Considered Energy Conservation Measures?

If your solar car ports are feeding into your estate, then have you considered reducing your electricity needs so you become more self-sufficient.

Simple things such as lighting upgrades and improvements to your HVAC system can save tonnes of carbon each year, whilst reducing your energy demand.  This means that the solar electricity generated will supply a greater percentage of your usage.

Energy conservation measures are fantastic complimentary technologies to solar installations.

Your Project is Unique… Demand a Unique Solution

Each installation is unique… Are you planning to export to the grid? Are you utilising battery energy storage?  Are you providing electric vehicle charging points?

You will have a list of things you want your installation to achieve, and the design process is the opportunity to make sure this will happen.

Be extremely wary of “off the peg” solutions… Make sure your design is as original as your idea and every element is tailored to making it a success and based on solid data analysis and modelling. You should look to the future to understand your broader Masterplan, so you can develop a futureproofed solution that will benefit your organisation in the long run.

Less than five months after construction officially began at the Coed Ely Solar Farm, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, and Vital Energi are celebrating a significant milestone as the last of the 9,400 solar panels are set to be installed.

The farm plays a significant part in the council’s decarbonisation as it will export 5MW of clean electricity to the grid, but it will also help lower Royal Glamorgan Hospital’s emissions as they will receive 1MW of low-carbon power through an innovative power purchase agreement.

The solar farm is situated on a former colliery site and is being delivered by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council in partnership with Vital Energi, Hydrock, and Rhomco. It is a core initiative in helping the council meet its carbon-neutral targets by 2030.

Councilor Leyshon continues, “By providing the Royal Glamorgan Hospital with low-carbon electricity, we’re helping to reduce its carbon footprint, and directly supplying our local NHS.

“Additionally, repurposing the site’s reclaimed colliery tip, which is unsuitable for agriculture, demonstrates how land can be used for clean energy while supporting local biodiversity. Grazing rights for animals will continue, showing that solar energy projects can coexist with farming and enhance biodiversity.”

So far, the project has created ten local jobs and generated over £600,000 in spending with local businesses and suppliers. The team are also working hard to improve biodiversity by planting hedgerows and installing bee posts, bird boxes, and bat boxes.

Adam Roche, Head of Pre-Construction for Vital Energi commented: “While there’s still work to do before the solar farm is energised, this milestone represents a transformative project that will significantly reduce carbon emissions for both the council and the health board. One of our key successes has been collaborating with local organisations to maximise job creation, local spending, and training opportunities—ensuring that this project delivers substantial social and economic benefits for the surrounding community.”

The Coed Ely Solar Farm will provide enough energy to power approximately 8,000 homes annually while supplying low-carbon electricity directly to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital via a private wire network spanning three kilometres. This innovative approach ensures that up to 15% of the hospital’s annual electricity demand is met sustainably rising to 100% on peak summer days.

Work is now complete on our £6.8m Mechanical and Engineering contract at Berkeley St Edwards’ prestigious Royal Warwick Square development, located in the heart of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The impressive development comprises a collection of impressive one, two and three-bedroom properties with private leisure facilities across six blocks. We’ve just completed the fit-out of Block J, which is made up of 86 dwellings, with a bar area and restaurant, progressing the design from RIBA stage 3 to stage 5.

We delivered essential infrastructure including six plant rooms, a nurse call system, apartment fire suppression systems, home automation system with concierge integration, and a rainwater harvesting system for the site wide irrigation system. We also installed water leak detection within all bathrooms, kitchens, and mechanical cupboards within apartments.

Thanks to our longstanding relationship with Berkeley, we secured a total of six contracts at Royal Warwick Square and have worked on three out of the six blocks – E, H and J.

A two-megawatt solar farm has been connected to the national grid and is set to provide electricity to around 800 homes.

The 3.8-hectare site, located off Kenyon Way in Little Hulton, has 3,774 ground mounted solar panels and is set to generate over 2,000 megawatt hours of electricity a year. This will be used to offset Salford City Council’s electricity bills, saving the council thousands of pounds on energy bills.

The solar farm will save over a thousand tonnes of carbon every year, which is the equivalent of taking over 600 cars off the road.

Part of a larger scheme called Unlocking Green Energy in Greater Manchester, the solar farm is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Salford City Council and is part of the drive for Salford and the rest of Greater Manchester to become carbon neutral by 2038.

The solar farm follows the installation of solar car ports at the council’s Turnpike and Swinton Hall Road depots, which provide power to the buildings on site and will further reduce the council’s electricity costs and carbon emissions.

Richard Halsey, Innovation Director at Energy Systems Catapult said: “As part of the Unlocking Clean Energy in Greater Manchester consortium alongside Salford City Council, we saw first-hand how place-based decarbonisation efforts can help us on the journey to Net Zero. After five years’ of hard work from many people, seeing this project come to fruition is an exciting moment for localised energy generation; helping deliver lower carbon emissions, and lower energy bills for the city council. Congratulations to everyone involved!”

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) has taken a giant step forward to meeting its Green Plan objectives thanks to funding under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS).

Vital Energi have designed and are delivering the net zero works at John Radcliffe Hospital, home to Oxfordshire’s main A&E site and acute hospital services, to make the hospital more energy efficient, as well as providing a better environment for patients.

Due for completion by the end of 2025, the John Radcliffe Hospital will be ‘de-steamed’, with the existing steam network decommissioned and replaced with new, cleaner, and more efficient pipework. The pipework is heated by substituting gas boilers with low carbon electric heat pumps and additional energy efficiency measures.

In addition to significantly improving the efficiency through heat pumps, the new system also reduces the carbon footprint of the site, along with water consumption, water treatment costs, operational and maintenance costs and avoids a maintenance backlog.

Solar panels, more efficient pipework insulation, and draught proofing, have also been installed to improve energy efficiency.

A total of £24.1m was awarded to the John Radcliffe and £5.7m to Horton General under Phase 3b of PSDS which is run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to support the aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings.  OUH contributed £8.2m towards the wider scheme, taking the total expenditure to £38m over a three-year period.

Salix’s Director of Public Sector Decarbonisation, Ian Rodger, and Programme Coordinator, Justin Morris, joined hospital officials and Vital Energi engineers to see how the John Radcliffe Hospital is finding work one year after celebrating its award of the PSDS grant.

Justin said: “It’s so important to see for ourselves how the works are progressing and to listen to the hospital team about the impact the technologies are making.

“The John Radcliffe and Horton hospitals are complex sites and there are many sensitivities that have to be considered and resolved in order to complete the work without interrupting patient care.

“The project team has both the skills and experience to face these challenges and deliver the project.”

Vital Energi’s Director of Low Carbon Solutions, Chris Yeo, said: “We were delighted to show Salix the progress of the decarbonisation works at John Radcliffe Hospital. Delivering such a complex project on a live acute hospital site is challenging and has only been possible due to the excellent collaboration between Vital Energi and the Oxford University Hospitals team which is a testament to all involved.

“As the John Radcliffe is my local hospital it is great to see the improvements to the hospitals energy infrastructure which will deliver significant carbon and cost savings.”

OUH is one of the UK’s largest acute teaching NHS Trusts. It works in close partnership with the University of Oxford, and is a leading centre for cancer, neurosciences, diabetes and genetics – among other fields.

During the visit, the team from Salix got to tour the site and look at the new energy efficiency technologies including the solar PV panels, air-handling units, building management systems, heat plate exchangers, the new low-temperature-hot-water pipework distribution system and cascading air-to-water heat pumps.

Earth Day encourages people all over the world to take action and protect our planet and, to celebrate, we teamed up with Meadowhead Community Primary School to help them learn more about renewable energy and make one of our projects even more bio-diverse.

The children travelled to Chamber House Solar Farm in Rochdale to tour the energy centre, played some fun environmental-themed games, and then helped us to sow wildflower seeds around the perimeter of the solar farm.

Given Earth Day exists to promote environmental protection it was also the perfect day to launch our “Why.”

Our why is the thing which brings us together, gives us purpose and shapes the direction of all that we do. Our why is: Protecting The Planet for Future Generations.

Marketing & Communications Director, Abby Whitelock explained, “Our “why” is the reason we do the work we do and we believe that, by working together we can achieve our net zero goals, mitigate the worst effects of climate change and hand our children a healthy planet to grow up in.

“This day was all about our why, which is protecting the planet for future generation and by teaching the children more about renewable energy and empowering them to make every day differences, we’re hoping they can grow up in the clean and healthy world they deserve.” 

Senior councillors have approved plans to invest £7.2 million extending the city’s flagship district heating network by 2500 metres so that more buildings can enjoy the benefits of reliable, affordable, and low carbon heating.

The £47 million Leeds PIPES network supplied 13,900 MWh of low carbon heat in 2021 and continues to grow. It is set to become one of the UK’s largest heat networks.

Five new extensions will see the Leeds PIPES district heating network expand into new areas of the city.

The council has identified at least nine sites that will be able to connect because of the approved extensions—potentially using another 11,600 MWh of sustainable heat every year.

By using heat and energy recovered from non-recyclable waste at the Recycling and Energy Recovery Facility (RERF) to provide hot water to buildings in the city, the network offers a reliable and significantly lower carbon alternative to traditional fossil fuel powered heating systems.

The scheme currently supplies heat recovered from the waste of approximately 10,700 Leeds households and helped cut the city’s carbon footprint by 2,000 tonnes in 2021.

Buildings and new developments located near the network can choose to connect at any time. Almost 2,000 homes, commercial and public buildings have already connected to the scheme.

The project has helped employ more than 430 people in the local low carbon sector including 36 apprentices.

Heating and powering buildings is responsible for around a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions. In its Heat and Buildings Strategy published last year, the Government set out how low carbon heat networks will play an increasingly significant role as the country tackles climate change.

New regulations are expected to be introduced by 2025 which will give councils the power to require certain existing buildings and new developments to connect to networks in pre-defined zones. Leeds City Council is now working with government to test the methodology used to establish these zones.

Mike Cooke, Managing Director (North & Scotland) of Vital Energi, said:

“As a result of visionary investment and working collaboratively with partners, Leeds PIPES has very quickly established itself as one of the UK’s major heat networks.

“As the network continues to grow it becomes more efficient and accessible to potential connections, enabling the transition from fossil fuels to deliver more carbon savings and contribute to a cleaner, greener Leeds.”

A report to executive board with recommendations approved by councillors can be read online.

Heat pumps, solar panels and energy efficiency measures will be introduced at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) as part of a £16.2m decarbonisation project which will reduce the site’s carbon footprint by over 3,000 tonnes a year.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs RSH, secured funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, and have partnered with Vital Energi, who have developed the scheme.

Vital Energi will install a1.6MW air and water source heat pump system, which will provide low carbon heating, hot water and chilled water to buildings across the hospital site.  This will enable the Trust to remove the old steam boilers and associated gas-fired equipment and fully “de-steam” the hospital estate.

The £16.2m grant will also fund a range of energy conservation measures such as 675kWp solar panels, which will be installed on the available roof spaces, the upgrade and optimisation of the building energy management systems, upgrades of roof and pipework insultation, and the replacement of air handling unit fans units with low-energy fan systems, which will reduce the site’s energy consumption, and improve the patient and staff experience.

As part of the project, Vital Energi will be developing a Digital Twin of the heating and cooling systems which form part of the decarbonisation works. This Digital Twin will be used to gather insights of the existing system and will enable Vital Energi to optimise the design while ironing out any inefficiencies, thereby maximising the performance of the heat pump system, as well as the reliability.

When the work is complete, the investment could save the Trust an estimated £1m a year in energy costs, and will support the Trust’s Estates Decarbonisation Strategies, Green Plan and national NHS ambitions of reaching net zero by 2040.

Inese Robotham, Assistant Chief Executive and Chair of the Trust’s Climate Group, said:

“This is fantastic and exciting news for the Trust, and we’re delighted to have secured this funding. The Trust is committed to continuous investment in both our hospitals, particularly in areas which support greener solutions.

“This aligns with our vision of sustainable health services and more modern facilities that will improve the experience of our patients and colleagues.”

Vital Energi’s extensive track record of delivering complex energy solutions within hospital environments throughout the UK has allowed them to develop a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of the NHS. They recognise the need for the Trust to maintain patient services at all times and will work with staff to develop strategies to deliver the works without impacting on the normal operations of the hospital.

Vital Energi are delivering the project through the Carbon and Energy Fund Framework, which has been specifically created to fund complex energy infrastructure upgrades for public sector organisations.

The project received grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is administered by Salix on behalf of the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

Director of Programmes at Salix Ian Rodger said:

“The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is having a huge impact across the country, and we are delighted to be working with the teams at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

“The funding will not only deliver a more energy efficient hospital and support the Trust’s carbon reduction plans, but it will help create a more comfortable environment for patients, staff and visitors.

“Our teams will work closely with the Trust as continues its journey to a net zero future.”

Work has officially begun on a £16.2m project at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) which will see the installation of heat pumps, solar panels and energy efficiency measures to reduce the site’s carbon footprint by over 3,000 tonnes a year.

The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, which runs RSH, secured funding through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, and has partnered with Vital Energi, who have developed the scheme.

The project is being delivered through the Carbon and Energy Fund (CEF) Framework, which has been specifically created to fund complex energy infrastructure upgrades for public sector organisations

Key members of the team from the Trust, Vital Energi and the CEF came together to mark the start of the works on site.

By replacing the old steam boilers and associated gas-fired equipment with a 1.6MW air and water source heat pump system, buildings across the site will receive low carbon heating, hot water and chilled water. It will mean the hospital estate will be fully de-steamed.

Rooftop solar panels will also be installed along with the upgrade and optimisation of the building energy management systems, upgrades of roof and pipework insultation and the replacement of air handling unit fans units with low-energy fan systems, which will reduce the site’s energy consumption and improve the patient and staff experience.

When the work is complete, the investment could save the Trust an estimated £1 million a year in energy costs and will support the Trust’s Estates Decarbonisation Strategies, Green Plan and national NHS ambitions of reaching net zero by 2040.

Phil Mottershead, Project Development Director for Vital Energi, said:

“Today marks an exciting milestone as we officially break ground on site, following months of dedicated planning and close collaboration with the Trust. This ambitious project not only brings the hospital closer to achieving its net zero goals, but also promises to significantly enhance the experience for patients, staff, and visitors alike.”

Dominic Clarke, Project Manager for the Carbon and Energy Fund (CEF) commented:

“The CEF is proud to support the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust in achieving its carbon reduction targets. This initiative is being delivered through a PSDS Phase 3C grant, secured via the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and Salix Finance.

“Working alongside delivery partner Vital Energi, the project focuses on the electrification of the hospital’s heating systems, aligning with the NHS’s target of reaching Net Zero by 2040.”

The project received grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), which is administered by Salix on behalf of the Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

What does a Project Development Engineer get up to? We find out in the next instalment of our International Women’s Day celebrations, featuring Millie Cooney. Millie helps organisations to understand where their energy comes from and how they can move towards net zero in a practical and reliable way. Read what she had to say about her role:

“I work with energy intensive organisations such as hospitals, universities and cities, helping them reduce carbon emissions while making sure their energy systems remain safe, resilient and fit for purpose.

I spend time on site understanding how heat and electricity are currently generated and used, and where improvements can be made. This might involve reducing energy demand or introducing low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps, solar power or energy storage, for example battery storage.

In hospitals in particular, energy resilience is critical – systems must always be dependable, as loss of power or heat could have serious consequences for patient care. A strong example of this is Northwick Park Hospital where we supported a long-term programme to help the site move towards net zero. We replaced an ageing system with low-temperature hot water network and introduced a tailored mix of heat pumps, solar power and battery storage. By working closely with the hospital’s facilities team, we delivered these changes in phases, ensuring energy remained secure and uninterrupted for patient care.

What motivates me most is seeing these projects make a real difference. The solutions we design don’t just reduce energy bills and carbon emissions, they also provide a secure energy supply and create more comfortable environments for building users. Equally important is the commercial aspect ensuring that solutions are not only technically robust but also affordable for clients. By creating guaranteed performance metrics, with penalties if systems fail to perform as designed, we reduce risk for energy users and ensure these solutions deliver real, lasting value.”