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We’ve been sub-contracted to support the Palace of Westminster’s Restoration & Renewal Programme, where we’re completing an early concept feasibility study on the application of water source heat pumps to reduce the carbon footprint of the Palace.

The iconic Palace of Westminster, home of Parliament, has played a unique role in our political history for 900 years and now it needs urgent repair.

Work has started on extensive surveys and inspections throughout the Palace to better understand the condition of the building, and thanks to our extensive experience in the design and installation of heat pumps, we have been asked to compile a comprehensive feasibility study into the use of water source heat pumps.

We will assess and quantify the potential available energy from the River Thames and detail how river heat exchange and boreholes can be used in tandem to ensure the most resilient and robust heating and cooling supply arrangement. We’ll also review options and make recommendations for the optimum heat pump technologies and arrangement.

The Restoration and Renewal Programme is committed to embedding sustainability across all phases of the works. Sustainability aspirations and objectives have been developed and will be used to steer design, construction and operational decisions.

Through the feasibility study, we’ll be supporting the delivery of one of the Programme’s key sustainability aspirations which is, “delivering resilience using innovative technology to maintain operation in a changing climate. Optimising building performance, establishing long term maintenance strategies and sustainable logistics.”

A solar farm which will power Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital for three quarters of the year is set to be up and running this spring.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT), City of Wolverhampton Council, and project partners including Vital Energi, have built the solar farm at a former landfill site the size of 22 football pitches, adjacent to Bentley Way, Wednesfield. It is set to open in April.

The facility will power the entire hospital site with self-generated renewable energy for around 288 days a year, and save the Trust around £15-20 million over the next 20 years – money which will be put back into frontline healthcare.

The solar farm will produce 6.9MWp of renewable energy to New Cross Hospital and will generate an estimated carbon saving of 1,583 tonnes of CO2e per annum.

More than 15,000 electricity generating solar panels have been installed at the site by main contractor Vital Energi.

Work to secure the 40-plus acre brownfield site included protecting badger setts, and removing methane.

The project, combined with existing green technologies, allows the Trust to move away from reliance on the national grid and to reduce its exposure to rising electricity costs in the next two decades. It also supports the Trust’s goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 25 per cent by 2025, and of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Stew Watson, Director of Estates Development at RWT, said: “This investment is a huge boost to help us achieve that.

“Our primary focus is always on the patient and these works ensure the Trust saves money on future energy bills, which we can then subsequently invest across other healthcare services.”

Ashley Malin, Managing Director at Vital Energi, added: “We’re delighted to have transformed a former coal mine and landfill site into this impressive solar farm, which is the largest single source of green energy on a hospital site within the UK.

“The clean energy will power the air source heat pumps within the hospital, and significantly reduce the hospital’s carbon footprint.”

Work has also been completed on the underground cabling to connect the hospital to the solar farm, which covers a distance of one and a half miles.

RWT has received around £15m in grant funding for the project. This comprised contributions from the government’s Levelling-Up fund, the NHS and Salix Finance, a government-funded body.

The Trust also received a further £33m to carry out green energy works as part of the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

Brynwhillach Solar Farm begins exporting zero-carbon electricity to Morriston Hospital as project officially goes live.

The Swansea Bay University Health Board solar farm has reached an exciting milestone after the 10,000 solar panels installed by Vital Energi went live and began exporting electricity to Morriston Hospital.

The installation will generate 4MW of zero-carbon electricity for the hospital and will reduce the Health Board’s carbon emissions by 20,000 tonnes over the lifecycle of the project.

Scott Lutton,  Operations Director – North and Scotland  explains, “This is a very important project for both the Health Board and the NHS in general as it will be the first Welsh hospital to receive its electricity from a dedicated solar farm and in addition to the large carbon savings, the hospital will reduce its energy spend by £439,000 per year.

“As energy security is paramount to the NHS, the solar farm underwent a rigorous testing period and met all the requirements of the local district network operator.  Once it successfully passed these requirements the system went live and is now supplying zero carbon electricity to the hospital.”

Vital Energi have also installed the supporting electrical infrastructure and 3km private wire network which will connect the solar farm to Morriston hospital.

This is the second energy project Vital Energi have delivered for SBUHB after phase 1 saw them deliver a range of energy conservation measures which reduced carbon emissions by 2,476 tonnes per annum whilst generating £870,000 of cost savings per year. Both projects were procured through the RE:FIT framework and come with an energy performance contract which guarantees performance, financial and carbon targets.

Vital Energi has been awarded a £3.1m contract to design and build the Energy Centre for phase 3 of Berkeley Homes North East London’s Woodberry Down development, which is located next to Finsbury Park.

Commenced in 2009, Berkeley is regenerating the neighbourhood in a 30-year project which will deliver over 5,500 mixed-tenure new homes. The development will be built over 8 phases, and will create a bustling community which is also home to 15 acres of landscaped parkland, 42 acres of open water, including a water sports and open water swimming reservoir, and the Woodberry Wetlands –a dedicated nature reserve cared for by the London Wildlife Trust.

Vital Energi will install 800kW of air source heat pumps (ASHP) on the roofs of two blocks, which will extract heat from the air and supply heating and hot water to the development. ASHPs are a low carbon heat source which will typically generate three times more energy than they use, making them 300% more efficient than traditional central heating systems.

Primary low-temperature heating system (LTHW) pipework will be installed within the Energy Centre, as well as distribution pipework which will run from the heat pump down to the energy centre, which when complete, will serve all 8 phases of the development. Three 1.5MW condensing boilers will be fitted within the new Energy Centre along with a Building Management System, as well as three 6m high 27,000 litre thermal stores.

The Energy Centre will be a double height space (9m high) located adjacent to the basement and ground floor levels, so plant deliveries will require complex engineering, including a specialist movement company and temporary works design.

Once complete, Vital Energi will operate and maintain the Energy Centre for 2 years, to ensure all equipment is maintained to a high standard, and carry out planned and reactive services of the Energy Centre.

Rob Callaghan, Managing Director of Vital Energi’s London and Southern Division, said:

“We’re delighted to be continuing our relationship by working on another of Berkeley Homes’ impressive mixed-use developments. It’s great to see an innovative regeneration project like Woodberry Down with energy conservation at its core.

“Berkeley are passionate about creating low carbon resilient homes to help tackle climate change, and we’re proud to be helping them on their journey by installing highly efficient renewable technologies such as air source heat pumps.”

Vital Energi will commence construction at the end of August.

The Mayor of Bedford Dave Hodgson and leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, MP were among a group who visited the Bedford Green Technology & Innovation Park project on 4^th of February to see how the site will be transformed from a former landfill site into a 21^st Century solar park.

The site at Elstow has undergone extensive remediation works to transform it into a green energy park with work now underway to install the council-owned solar farm which will generate over 4MW of zero carbon electricity for the grid.

Vital Energi are currently on site at the 30-hectare plot, installing the piles that will support the steel frames.  Once this work is complete, the installation of circa 8,000 panels will take place.

Scott Lutton, Vital Energi’s Operations Director – North & Scotland comments, “Playing a part in transforming this land from a former landfill site into a 21^st century zero-carbon energy park is extremely exciting and will make a significant contribution to Bedford Borough Council on their journey to net zero.  It is a great example of how to reclaim sites of this nature and turn them into something truly inspirational”.

The project will help the council meet their targets of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and they were awarded more than £1.8m from the South East Midlands Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) Getting Building Fund towards the project.

Mayor Dave said “It was great to see the progress at the Bedford Green Technology & Innovation Park. This project will not just deliver green electricity but also encourage others to reduce carbon emissions and adopt innovative technologies”

Sir Ed added “I was delighted to be shown around the Park. I would like to congratulate Mayor Dave Hodgson and Bedford Borough on this hugely innovative project to deliver cheap, green, energy. The £2.3million from the Council along with £1.8million from the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) show real investment in our future energy supply.”

Solihull Council has secured financing from the National Wealth Fund (NWF) to help deliver its ambitious town centre energy network. The innovative new network will provide low carbon heating, hot water and power (electricity) to a range of town centre buildings, helping to reduce fuel bills and future-proof against changes in customer energy needs.

The project will be the first heat network to receive funding from the NWF via a £9.6m loan provided through its Local Authority function. This low-cost long-term financing option will enable the Council and its delivery partners to complete installation of the pipework for the first phase of the project.

The project aligns with the NFW’s clean energy mandate and supports Government ambitions to increase the use of low carbon heat networks to 20% by 2050, up from 3% today. This drive is intended to help decarbonise the UK’s building stock, which is currently the second largest contributor to carbon emissions after transport.

The first phase of the network in Solihull will provide heat and power to public and private sector customers, including Council-owned buildings and education campuses. It is intended that future phases will then connect other buildings in the town centre and link to planned commercial or residential developments in line with the Council’s Town Centre Masterplan.

The project is being delivered by Vital Energi who will design, build, operate and maintain the new network. Vital Energi is a leading national player in the heat network and low carbon energy sector and has successfully delivered a range of exemplar, high-profile networks including Leeds PIPES and Mersey Heat.

The initial funding required to get this carbon saving scheme off the ground was provided by the Government’s Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP) and West Midlands Combined Authority.

Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change and Planning said:

“For individual buildings, decarbonising heat is expensive and often disruptive to occupants. A town centre energy network enables existing buildings and new developments to benefit from centrally based low carbon heat generation with minimal disruption and in a cost-effective manner benefitting from economies of scale. It also provides opportunities to instal rooftop solar panels that can supply the energy network customers, utilising roof space and ultimately protecting the green belt.

“The real beauty of this scheme is that it can expand through subsequent phases to meet growing demand and link into new buildings and developments. As we progress with the scheme, we anticipate signing up many more customers who will be able to see the obvious benefit it can provide.

Before embarking on this exciting scheme, we undertook detailed financial modelling as part of the business case, the favourable loan we have been able to secure from the NWF improves the financial case for the scheme which will recover all of its capital investment costs over its lifetime.”

Lorna Pimlott, National Wealth Fund Managing Director, Local Authority Advisory & Lending, said:

“Heat networks have a key role to play in the nation’s transition to net zero and we’re pleased to support Solihull Council in this important project. The NWF’s lower cost of finance will enable the council and Vital Energi to deliver the first phase of the heat network on time and within budget, enabling consumers to cost-effectively decarbonise their buildings while providing greater energy price resilience in the future.”

Gemma Dyson, Pre Construction Director for Vital Energi, said:

“The Solihull Low Carbon Energy Network is making significant progress on site, and this funding from NWF is more positive news.  We are all working hard to get the network up and running quickly, so that the end users can benefit from low carbon heat, hot water, and power, which will be a key step in decarbonising their buildings. We’ve also been making great strides with our social value commitments on the project, ensuring that we are making a difference in the community as well as helping the borough decarbonise.” 

We often get the chance to support great causes whilst working on projects, so we were delighted to be able to donate 32 Solar PV panels to the Ostoya Roztocze Orphanage in Poland, which houses Ukrainian children who have been orphaned in the war.

We recently delivered the 5MW Chamber house solar farm for Rochdale Borough Council, who made us aware that the orphanage needed solar panels and that the “Giving to Ukraine” charity was sending a convoy to Poland which could transport them.

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.