Water & Wastewater Treatment

24 | march 2015 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk Project focus: water and energy which qualified any eligible genera- tion to the highest FIT rate • The roof on Treatment Block 2 (TB2) is south facing with no obstruc- tions, enabling maximum electric- ity generation • The roof was considered strong and large enough to take a sizable PV array • Any reflection from the roof would not impact on local surroundings or residents due to the height Tender and Installation The energy team tendered for the maximum sized roo op solar installa- tion that was possible under permit- ted development rights and invited companies to determine the size of the array. Planning permission on a scheme of this size would have in- creased the cost of the project and as a result increase the payback period. There was a requirement for the payback period to be less than five years, and the preferred size of instal- lation was as close to 50 kW as possi- ble to fall within the 10-50 kW retro-fit bracket which had a FIT rate of 12.13 p/kWh. This FIT bracket was 1.79 p/ kWh higher than for larger installa- tions of up to 100 kW. If the installa- tion had been 51 kW, the difference in FIT payments over the course of 20 years would have amounted to over £20,000. The site surveys and tender brought a mixture of proposals, from 34.7 kW to 49.9 kW, and a significant variance in price. Your Power UK, part of the Your Group company based in Bristol, won the tender and proposed an installation of 192 panels of 260 W each totalling 49.9 kW peak power. The predicted generation from this size of array is over 46,301 kWh per annum. Forest Electrical was ap- pointed as the contractor for the elec- trical works having won the electrical tender. Stark So ware International Limited (with WPD Metering) were contracted to install and provide data from the generator sub meter as they were already an approved contractor. The contracts took two weeks to set up, which enabled Your Power UK to schedule the scaffolding erection for the 3rd December. On 8th Decem- ber Your Power UK began installing the racks and panels, and by the 15th December the system was completed and commissioned. The FIT application was completed and submitted the day a er site com- missioning and the electricity supplier approved the application within three days. This process was helped by good communication prior to the formal FIT submission. Challenges There were a few challenges as part of this project and meticulous project management was required to enable a smooth installation. One of the chal- lenges was the number of contractors and staff that required access to the site. Sutton Bingham has little avail- able space, with a single access track through the site and minimal parking. In order for the scaffolding and panel deliveries to be able to reach the far side of the site, it was necessary to liaise with site staff and contractors to avoid operational disruption. Sutton Bingham water treatment works PV scheme proved to be a good example of how solar PV can benefit the company. There are likely to be more of these sized projects in the future to help reduce energy costs and carbon emissions. Hear more about Wessex Water's environmental and energy strategies at Utility Week Live, 21-23 april in Birmingham: www.utilityweeklive.co.uk • Perspectives John Leonard, Energy manager, Wessex Water: "Sutton Bingham is an important site for Wessex Water and has seen significant additional quality requirements imposed over AMP5. The successful completion of the recent solar PV scheme has not only reduced the grid electricity requirement, but reduced Sutton Bingham's carbon footprint." James Lovell, Supply controller, Wessex Water "The solar PV project represents a successful innovation collaborated by the energy team and the Sutton Bingham production team. We look forward to realising the carbon savings thatthe solar PV will enable and will look to understand poten- tial locations for further installa- tions." Nick Spicer, Operations Director, Your Power UK: "We're delighted with the efficiency of the install. We conducted a num- ber of site scoping studies before we began, making sure we thor- oughly understood site dynamics to ensure Wessex's regular opera- tions were not adversely affected." Julia clarke surveys the installation The 192 PV panels were installed in December 2014

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