Huddersfield Royal Infirmary in Yorkshire was built in 1965 and over the years has undergone several major renovations. In 2004, the hospital dealt with nearly 63,000 admissions to the Accident and Emergency department. With over 420 beds the NHS hospital offers a vital service to the residents of Huddersfield.
In 2006, Batchelor Electrical Ltd in conjunction with Total Roofing Services completed a large installation of over 36 solar photo voltaic (PV) array panels each over 6m long x 1m wide incorporated within the new roofing.
The totally weatherproof roof liner contains integrated solar panels which provide up to 20% higher output* than similarly rated traditional crystalline panels. In addition, the unique patented membrane does not require any heavy frames, which makes it extremely lightweight meaning it can be mounted to almost any shape structure.
This environmentally conscious hospital is now able to embrace the sun’s energy and turn it into useable electricity to reduce the overall consumption and building’s CO2 emissions.
The fully automated system allows surplus electricity produced from the installation to be sold back to the electricity companies automatically, again helping to offset the cost of the initial installation. Likewise, if demand is higher than the PV panels can produce additional electricity is bought back from the national grid automatically, this ensures that equipment at the hospital is not reliant solely on the sun’s energy.
PV requires only daylight - not direct sunlight - to generate electricity. PV systems generate no greenhouse gases, saving approximately 325kg of carbon dioxide emissions per year - adding up to about 8 tonnes over a system's lifetime** - for each kilowatt peak.
Grants are available of up to 50%** of the installation cost from the Government’s DTI Energy Savings Trust for businesses and individuals who invest in solar technology to generate their electricity, which means your energy doesn't need to cost the earth.
*SOURCE: ICB-alwitra
**SOUCRE: Energy Savings Trust (figure correct at time of publication)
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