Salford City Council has confirmed its Turnpike and Swinton Depots are currently undergoing a transformation ahead of the installation of solar carports.
Being developed as part of a £1.2 million project, 1,500 solar PV panels will be installed at the sites and, when complete, the four carports will be able to generate over 650kW of clean energy. The Swinton Hall Depot will integrate one solar carport sized at 177kW whereas Turnpike Depot will integrate three sized at 477kW.
Vital Energi has been tasked with the design and installation of the solar modules.
“Solar PV is one of the most effective ways of reducing your carbon emissions, but for a project to work you need the space to install them,” said Gemma Dyson, proposals manager at Vital Energi.
“By choosing solar carports the council have been able to make sure of their car park without losing any spaces. It’s an innovative solution and will allow the council to generate significant solar electricity which is another strong step on their road to net zero.”
It is worth noting that the generated energy will connect to the council’s private wire network whilst also having the ability to export to the local grid. At the Swinton site, the electricity will be used to supply council-owned depot offices, whereas the Turnpike project will contribute to multiple buildings such as a nearby NHS block.
Lee McDonald, contracts manager at Vital Energi added: “It was important to the client that we found a solution which didn’t reduce the number of car parking spaces at either site. We’re delighted to have delivered a project which does this, whilst helping the council take another step forwards on their net zero journey.”
Salford City Council confirmed that the project is being part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, which is designed to “strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion in the European Union”.
Solar car parks continue to grow in popularity across the UK as a means to provide on-site renewable energy growth both for electric vehicle (EV) charging and nearby buildings.
On 1 November, sustainable resource management company Veolia and 3ti unveiled plans to develop a 1.1MWp solar car park to provide power to the Eastbourne District General Hospital.
The site will also feature ten solar-powered EV chargepoints for staff to use.