Southend airport
photon energy has installed 119kwp solar pv for southend airport.
The PV system consists of 496 x Conergy 240P polycrystalline PV modules. The PV modules are connected to 5 x SMA STP 17000 TL and 1 x SMA STP 10000 TL inverters that have been mounted at roof level to minimise the DC cable run. The modules have been mounted on the standing seam roof of the new airport terminal using the K2 Speed Rail mounting system.
London Southend was once the third busiest airport in the country before London Stansted took this position in the 1960s. Since being taken over in 2008 by the Stobart Group, the airport has had some major improvements, with the number of passengers using it increasing to almost one million in 2013.
Photon Energy was contracted to install 496 solar panels on the roof of the new terminal building. The PV is used to power shops and restaurants located in the terminal through the airport’s private electricity network.
The project helped the terminal receive BRE environmental assessment method (BREEAM) ‘very good’ rating whilst also reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1000 tonnes over the next 20 years.
Jenny Palfreyman, Senior Engineer of Photon Energy, said,
“Working on a construction site at busy international airport provided many challenges for the installation and project management staff at Photon Energy.”
Tim Davies, Senior QS of BBESL, said,
“Photon management worked well with a difficult programme which had a delayed start and delayed completion due to the lateness of preceding building trades. They coped well with mitigating costs by aborting works where necessary and returning at later stage in the project to complete their works. The end products were of an excellent quality and the build was completed to a very high standard.”
Equipment summary:
System size: 119kWp
Energy generation: 101,000 kWh/year
Carbon emissions saving: 53 tCO₂/year.
PV modules: Conergy 240W
Inverters: SMA STP
Mounting System: K2 SpeedRail