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| Microgeneration mix proves viability of ‘10% onsite energy generation’  A unique combination of solar photovoltaics (PV) and microwind in Croydon’s ‘Centrale’ Shopping Centre car park will generate enough electricity each year to light an average three-bed house for over 8 years. St Martin's Property Corporation Limited approached solarcentury, the UK’s leading renewable company to design a clean energy solution. Due to the success of this project, St Martin’s are already hoping to replicate the solution in other developments.Solarcentury designed and installed the system, one of the first to demonstrate a unique hybrid solution to onsite energy generation. By combining microwind and PV, electricity generation is maximised, as the combination of technologies matches seasonal variations in weather patterns. Solar output is optimal in summer, whilst wind is more consistent in the winter creating an ideal renewable combination. Sharp PV modules were integrated within the building’s design, offsetting the cost of building materials by replacing plant screening that surrounds the plant deck. Croydon Centrale is one of many projects to offset costs by integrating PV as a building material. The largest European demonstration of building integrated PV is the CIS tower in Manchester, another solarcentury project. The Croydon Centrale development will offset 2 tonnes of CO2, a major greenhouse gas, every year. To achieve the Kyoto Protocol, the UK is required to reduce CO2 emissions by 12.5% below 1990 levels by 2010. This installation offsets the contribution of 6 UK individuals to this target every year. Croydon Borough Council have recently introduced a renewable energy strategy within their Unitary Development Plan, which states that all new major developments must generate 10% of their energy requirements onsite from renewables. Although this was not a new development, St Martin’s group still chose to install a microgeneration energy system within the shopping centre’s car park, having recognised the associated benefits. Solarcentury have pioneered ‘10%’ projects in boroughs across the UK that are actively adopting these changes to their energy strategy in order to reach the governments renewable energy targets. Croydon Centrale stands as a signal to developers who face the ‘10%’ requirement that there are considerable advantages, and economic benefits, to specifying renewable energy at the design stage. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Construction News :: home page |