DeMontfort University in Leicester will cut its annual electricity bill by around £25,500 after three solar arrays totalling 122.6kWp of capacity were installed across campus.
The solar arrays, installed by Mark Group, consist of two 50kWp arrays and one 22.6kWp array that cost the university £180,000. The revenue generated through the feed-in tariff and the associated energy savings means that the university expects to return on its investment within seven years.
Paul Eccleshare, energy manager for the university explained that installing renewable energy was a key part of its strategic plan to reduce energy bills in the future. He said: “By investing in the solar panels we will be able to reduce our energy bills considerably over the next twenty five to thirty years by utilising solar energy as a sustainable source of energy for the university”.
Stephen Darlington, commercial services bid manager at Mark Group, said that the media spotlight on energy bills has focused attention on how companies can reduce their energy bills. He explained how the university will use its solar arrays to engage with its generation and consumption levels: “Solar energy will bring considerable savings and the university is able to oversee this and output from the solar panels via a central dashboard monitoring system which provides the information in real time”.