Hayes Primary School in Paignton, Devon has now completed the commissioning of a new 74 panel 18kW PV system incorporating a SMA Tripower inverter allowing them to reap the benefits of reducing their annual energy bills and educating their pupils in becoming advocates of renewable energy.
Devon and Reading based installer, Spirit Solar, commissioned the project on 23 March 2012. The project was not without its challenges; given the site is in close proximity to the coast, Spirit Solar opted for salt mist corrosion resistant panels and ensured they had fully analysed the structure of the building. Taking the age of the school building into consideration, working with old slates is usually a slower roofing procedure and the school required structural bracing to counteract wind up lift also undertaken by Spirit Solar. The system had to be installed during term time whilst the school was fully operational and, therefore, had to be carried out with minimal disruption.
Along with the installation of 74 ASUN 245-P panels, Spirit Solar specified an SMA Tripower 17000 TL inverter and an SMA webbox. Hayes School use Sunny Portal embedded on their website which allows users access to at-a-glance data pertaining to the efficiency of the PV system and their daily CO2 avoidance.
Spirit Solar are also due to attend a school assembly where the children will be taken through the installation, how it works and the numerous potential benefits. Each child has already been given a copy of our ‘Smork in Suntown’ children’s book to take home along with our ‘Life Shines Brighter’ leaflet for their parents.
Praising Spirit Solar for their professionalism throughout the entire process of the installation, Sean Hindle, School Business Manager of Hayes School said, “From the planning stage, Spirit Solar carried out the project safely and to an extremely high standard. The PV system is completely hassle-free and unobtrusive, plus it allows us to see how much energy we have produced, our potential revenue and carbon omissions avoided.”
Vishal Giga, Commercial Projects Manager, Spirit Solar Ltd stated “We are very pleased to have played a part in helping Hayes School to reduce their energy bills and lower their carbon footprint. The whole project was perfect from start to finish. It is always very satisfying for us to install such systems in schools. We hope the system proves to be a great learning tool for the children and contributes to increased awareness of the many benefits of solar energy.”