Signing off on one of the largest solar deals in the UK, the Peabody Group, which includes London housing associations Peabody and CBHA, has selected building contractor Breyer Group to install solar panels across 25 London boroughs.
Under the terms of the £18.5million agreement, Breyer will begin installing immediately and will work through a 39 week schedule, completing the 6MW programme by March next year. Peabody will undertake an impact assessment for residents living in street properties to measure the exact benefit in terms of fuel savings.
The initiative is comparable to similar projects in the UK, where residents living in properties where the panels are installed will benefit from reduced electricity bills, while surplus income generated from panels installed on housing blocks will be re-invested by Peabody into its homes and services. In total, 2,500 tonnes of carbon emissions will be reduced from Peabody homes per year.
Nic Wedlake, Peabody Sustainability Manager said, “We’re proud to be cutting electricity bills for our customers as well as carbon emissions. This project will help ensure Peabody homes, which have stood the test of time across London, continue to meet the needs of Londoners into the 21st century.”
Tim Breyer, Managing Director at Breyer Group said, “All of us at Breyer are very excited to be appointed by Peabody and working on such a landmark environmental project in the nation’s capital. This flagship project should significantly improve Peabody’s carbon emissions and act as a case study for all major property owners in the UK.”
In total 800 blocks will be fitted with solar panel installations of various sizes, all under 50kW. These installations will link to the communal supply, while up to 2,500 sub 4kW systems will also be fitted to directly connected homes. The systems will utilise Schuco monocrystaline solar panels as well as SMA and Schuco inverters and Schuco mounting systems.
In order to benefit from the scheme the systems need to meet Peabody’s investment criteria in terms of its internal rate of return, but all roofs are being considered that are within 90 degrees East and West of due South.
