Kingspan Energy has completed what is claimed to be the largest rooftop PV array in Northern Ireland at the group’s manufacturing plant in Portadown, County Armagh.
The 1.3MW installation will help power Kingspan Environmental’s head office and principal manufacturing facility where it produces solar thermal modules. The company estimates that the solar array will produce around 1.3GWh of electricity a year, enough to meet 30% of the site’s daytime annual energy demand.
The new solar array was fitted in concert with a full roof replacement. In addition to solar PV, the new roof also boasts vastly increased insulation to help boost the thermal performance of the building.
Commenting on the installation, Gilbert McCarthy, managing director of Kingspan Insulated Panels said: “This installation, the latest in a series of record-breaking projects by our Kingspan Energy team, proves the increasing business appetite for rooftop solar PV generation. There has never been a better time for businesses to benefit from renewable generation that makes the most of an otherwise unused asset – their roofs.”
The installation consists of over 4,700 solar modules and was completed in around 12 weeks.