242 kWp Solar PV installation for NW Bicester Eco Town

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Photon Energy won the tender to install the solar PV at Elmsbrook, phase 2 of the project, on 67 houses and one block of flats, in a competitive tender for regular client, Hill. This phase provides a mix of homes, from two bedroom starter properties to five bedroom executive family homes for private sale, as well as a number of affordable homes managed by the developer, A2Dominion.

North West Bicester is one of the UK’s first eco-towns governed by Central Government’s Eco-town Planning Policy Statement. This flagship project, is the first of its kind and scale, and aims to establish a vibrant and sustainable community, designed to be good for the environment and the local economy. The masterplan has specified a total of 6,000 true zero carbon homes to be built on a 1,000 acre site during a number of strategic timed phases.

Each home features a substantial solar PV array, sized between 1.75 and 5.25 kWp. Viridian Solar Clearline Fusion integrated roof panels were chosen for their high quality performance combined with a sleek and uncluttered aesthetic. The PV systems were carefully designed to consider the orientation of the roofs and any shading on the terraced properties. Maximising the efficiency of the solar PV was a key consideration at the planning stage, so consequently, approximately two thirds of the homes on this development feature south facing roofs.

As integrated roof panels were not suitable for the flat-roofed block of flats, the 11.96 kWp installation on this building featured instead, an array of 46 Solar World 260 Wp modules.

A combined total of approximately 1,000 panels were installed across all the properties, generating an estimated 219,236 kWh per year and saving 113.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Rikki Baker, Project Engineer of Photon Energy said: “It was a fantastic opportunity for us to work on this project where we were tasked with installing as much solar PV as possible and homes were designed to be zero carbon.”

Narinder Jheeta, Technical Coordinator at Hill said: “We were pleased to be working with Photon Energy on this flagship project at North West Bicester. Their project managers were very professional which helped the installation process go smoothly and keep to schedule. We have a long standing relationship with Photon Energy and look forward to working with them on future projects.”

* photo credit Viridian Solar

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