Centrica Business Solutions and solar PV developer Push Power has completed the installation of solar PV systems at ten David Lloyd Leisure Clubs across the UK.
Centrica, the parent company of British Gas, contracted Push Power to design and install the roof-mounted PV systems. The first wave of installations took place at David Lloyd clubs in Basildon, Solihull, Southampton, Birmingham, Hull, Cardiff, Cambridge, Dartford, West Bridgford and Manchester, and the firm notes that more sites will follow in the future. Nine of the ten installations are already operational, with the Manchester site set to be energised next week.
The installations varied in size, from a 300kWp, 708-panel installation in Manchester to a 631kWp, 1485-panel installation in Cambridge. JA Solar provided panels for all the sites, with SolarEdge supplying the inverter and optimiser equipment.
Nick Mingo, head of property and sustainability CAPEX at David Lloyd Clubs, said, “We’ve been working on a range of initiatives, including generating our own renewable energy on-site, as part of our target of becoming carbon net zero by 2030. We’re impressed with Centrica Business Solutions and Push Power and look forward to working with them throughout the rest of the project.”
Christian Stella, UK&I director at Centrica Business Solutions noted the increasing attractiveness of solar installations for businesses, commenting: “the pressure to decarbonise and cut costs is greater than ever and businesses are turning to on-site generation methods, like solar.”
Onsite solar for businesses is increasingly popular
The installations at David Lloyd Leisure Clubs are the latest in a growing number of businesses choosing to reduce their energy costs and carbon emissions with an onsite solar PV array.
At the end of September, luxury vehicle manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced that it would install an 18,000 solar PV module array at its flagship Halewood factory– enough to cover 10% of the site’s energy consumption.
Earlier that month, biotech firm Fera Science appointed electrical engineering specialist Meson Electrical to design and install a custom 150kWp installation for its York Biotech Campus, made up of 342 N-Type solar modules. The two firms estimate that Fera Science will save roughly £24,000 each year on its energy bills once the installation is complete.
GB NRG has also been busy, announcing in August that it had successfully completed installations at all of Crendon Timber’s 15 sites, with a combined capacity of 2MW. The expected payback time for the solar installations is expected to be as little as two to three years.
