Solar Water Heating

In September 2005, we installed a solar water heating system.

It consists of four flat-plate collectors, mounted on frames on the roof of our main building.

The Technical Bit
  • There are 4 Filsol FS20 flat plate panels each with a surface area of 2 square metres.
  • The system, which was supplied and installed by Southern Solar Ltd., Sussex, cost £6,000 and was funded by a grant from the POWERGEN GreenPlan Fund
  • The Low Carbon Buildings Programme, launched by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, provides domestic uses with grants for installing micro-generation technologies. This can provide a grant towards the costs of purchasing a solar water heating system for your home. A typical domestic system would require 2-4m2 of flat plate collectors facing between south east and south west.

What We Are Achieving
  • The panels work in conjunction with our biomass (wood-chip) boiler which provides heating and hot water for the main building and the Wetherdown Lodge. This is an ideal combination, with the boiler providing hot water (and heating) to the Centre during the colder months, and the solar panels providing hot water when the boiler is off during the summer.
  • The panels provide all the hot water for the main building for hand-washing, kitchens and showers.
  • The panels produce around 3,272kWh a year (sufficient to power three households).

Solar Electricity Project

The developed world's demand for energy is the single biggest contributor to climate change.

The UK Climate Change Act (2008) set legally binding targets to reduce carbon emissions by at least 34% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. Some think this isn't good enough, suggesting a 90% cut is needed.

At The Sustainability Centre we aim to be a best-practice example in reducing carbon emissions and the way we use energy. This is why we don't have display models of renewable technologies, but real working examples.

We have actively invested in, and are benefiting from, photovoltaics (solar electricity).

Our photovoltaic ('PV') panels produce direct current (DC) electricity which is converted to 230 volts alternating current (AC). This is then fed into the electrical distribution system for the whole site.

Case Study 1 - Our Headquarters Building
What we've doneWe have installed PV panels on our main building, which has a flat roof and is south-facing. Most are positioned on the roof, although some are fixed to the facade so that our visitors can inspect them close up.

The Technical Bit
This PV system is capable of producing a maximum of 8.16kWp (48 panels x 170Wp). The system is expected to provide approximately 6528 kWhs annually. This calculation is based on the average annual solar radiation being 800kWhs per kWp. This takes account of the facade mounted system giving a slightly reduced output.

The PV modules have been installed using Schuco PV Light Facade installation systems and Solion Roof mounting frames. The three separate arrays are sited in different locations on the building. There are two arrays on the flat roof consisting of eighteen panels each. These modules are mounted using Solion bespoke roof mounting frames. The frames are made from recycled plastic and carry the appropriate amount of ballast as directed in the manufacturer's specification and wind-loading calculations.

The third array is facade mounted using a Schuco facade mounting system. This system is fixed directly into the facia brickwork on the building with multiple fischer fixings for each panel.

The PV array was funded by the Low Carbon Buildings Programme and the Community Sustainable Energy Programme. The installation works were carried out by local company Southern Solar.

What We Are Achieving
We estimate that this installation:
  • meets 18.65% of the 35,000 kWh of power we need each year
  • saves emissions of around 4 tonnes of CO2
  • contributes, with the project below and a 'switch-off' culture, to a total annual saving of 30%
​Case Study 2 - Wetherdown Lodge
In 2004, we installed 50 photovoltaic roof tiles on the roof of Wetherdown Lodge.

These are arranged in an array of 18.6 sq. metres on the east-facing sloped roof.

The panels are more sophisticated than many systems, as they are designed to replace standard roofing tiles. They fit directly onto the roof battens and are as weatherproof as a normal roof tile. They don't spoil the surroundings and have a life expectancy of at least 25 years. They require no maintenance and have no moving or wearing parts.

What We Are Achieving
  • In the brightest sunlight, the panels can produce up to 1,800 watts (1.8kW) of electricity which can be used anywhere on the site
  • in 2005 they generated 1,322 units of electricity
  • they avoided the emission of 0.8 tonnes of CO2

This clean energy generated by PV is making a significant contribution to our needs on the site. The additional power we require is supplied by Good Energy, the only company that currently provides 100% of its electricity from renewable sources.

The power we use at The Sustainability Centre therefore makes very little contribution to climate change.