Wolseley sets shining example with huge solarPV installation
Set to produce 16 GWh a year of electricity is this solar PV installation on the roof of Wolseley UK’s national distribution centre in Leamington Spa. The installation of 8020 panels covers an area of over 13 000 m2 and has 24 inverters.
Installation was carried out over six months and could generate an income of £6.5 million over 20 years from the Feed in Tariff for commercial buildings. The payback is 6.8 years, after which electricity wil effectively be free. At full output, the system will completely power the centre and have a 10% surplus.
The installation will help to improve the environmental performance of the site, which already has a ‘Very good’ BREEAM rating.
Exhaust air from the inverters is channelled into the building’s heating system, adding about 80 kW of additional heat. For safety, automated DC breakers connected to the fire-control system will disconnect the panels iif the fire alarm is activated.
