Our story
Basingstoke Energy Services Co-op partnered with London Fire Brigade to help them understand the environmental and financial returns associated with solar PV, before designing and implementing solar arrays at nine of their sites.
Basingstoke Energy Services Co-op is on a mission to design and install renewable energy systems for homes, businesses and the wider community, and have worked on a wide range of projects - from implementing single-home solutions to large commercial contracts and community energy projects.
London Fire Brigade was interested in the potential of solar PV but wanted a deeper understanding of the technology and its benefits for the organisation. We reviewed a number of their sites across London to identify the best potential locations for installation. For each site, we created a business case analysis to consider cost, energy savings, carbon reduction and income from solar PV. Ten sites were chosen for design and installation.
The installation process had to be carefully coordinated as the chosen sites included active fire stations and a data centre. We worked closely with London Fire Brigade to plan our approach and ensure the work – which included some power-downs – did not impact the life-saving services that they provide across the capital.
The installations were successful, delivering a combined total array of 100 kW. This adds up to a carbon reduction of 640 tonnes over the 25-year lifespan of the panels. The combined solar arrays are providing a significant financial and environmental return to London Fire Brigade and it's a project that we're proud to have been a part of.
Our advice
Understand what you're trying to achieve – It's critical you understand your primary goal. Is this a financial decision? An environmental one? Do you need to find a balance of both? This information is absolutely critical to optimizing the size of the system while ensuring it meets the needs of the site. We suggest a 25-year cash-flow analysis compared with a 25-year carbon-savings analysis to provide a clear picture of what is possible.
Understand your site – If you have a location where most work is done at night then solar PV is unlikely to be an effective choice. Similarly, if you have a north-facing roof, a complex tiled roof, or a building that's likely to be replaced inside twenty years then solar may not be a good fit.
Our Changeprint
Our Changeprint can be measured by carbon savings (640 tonnes over the 25-year lifespan); renewable energy generated on-site (total array of 100 kW); financial savings by switching from fossil fuels; and by the example set for other fire stations to copy elsewhere.
