These rooftop arrays prove that solar on commercial buildings can be a visual delight – not to mention a source of significant cost savings
It was like kitesurfing on a roof,” says engineer Matt Andrews, recalling the merry dance he did with the wind while installing solar panels on top of the Sea Life Scarborough building. It’s a gig that the Good Energy employee “won’t forget in a long time” – and not just because of the weather.
A prominent seafront building (pictured above), the pyramid-shaped aquarium was something of an engineering puzzle for Andrews and his colleagues. Add to that the significance of the well-known structure to the North Yorkshire town and it meant there was much public scrutiny of their handiwork.
“It’s one of the most complex installations we’ve ever done,” says Andrews. “The shape of the structure and its importance to local people meant we knew everything had to be inch perfect – there’s no hiding on a site as prominent as this. But we love a challenge.”
The 150 panels that flank the attraction generate approximately 70MWh of electricity each year, shrinking the building’s annual CO2 output by around 13.4 tonnes. That’s the equivalent emissions of driving a petrol car for 67,000 miles. The attendant cost savings inspired a similar installation at Sea Life Great Yarmouth. Within four years the panels at both sites will have paid for themselves through energy cost savings.
According to Andrews, Scarborough locals needed no persuading about the benefits. “There was so much positive feedback from passersby, about the need to move forward with the times but maintain the heritage. That’s always nice to hear.”
Until recently, roofs like Sea Life Scarborough’s may have been written off as unsuitable for a solar array. Advances in panel technology and growing expertise within the booming sector, however, have brought an increasing number of rooftops into play.
Good Energy’s new office in Ringwood, Hampshire. Image: Good Energy
And there will be many more to come: the UK government has announced that all newbuild homes should include rooftop solar, which could pave the way for more commercial buildings following suit. Factor in skyrocketing energy bills and the falling cost of panels and it’s easy to see why households and businesses are increasingly turning their roofs into mini power stations.
“It’s a no-brainer,” says Carl Hogg, managing director at Good Energy Services, the installation arm of Good Energy. “You’re saving money and you’re more secure, because you’re less exposed to the volatile gas and electricity market – and you’re doing the right thing for the planet.”
For one leisure centre in Gillingham, Dorset, rooftop solar was the difference between staying afloat or going bust when energy prices skyrocketed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Max Pearce, a solar team leader at Good Energy. Image: Toby Smith
“When the energy crisis hit, we looked at the numbers and at that point it was only three months before we [had to] close the doors for good,” says Jake Parry, general manager of RiversMeet, a non-profit charitable trust that runs the leisure facility. “Our electricity costs went from 11p to 88p per kilowatt hour, which meant we had to take action. So we started the process of installing solar.”
The panels have helped RiversMeet turn things around. “The charity is now larger than it’s ever been, with more social value than it’s ever had,” says Parry. “Having renewable energy on the roof makes that possible.”
St Mary’s church in nearby Ferndown has also seen the light, transforming its rooftop into a mini solar farm. The system went live in April and will save the church and adjoining cafe an estimated £10,000 a year in running costs.
The charity is now larger than it’s ever been, with more social value than it’s ever had. Having renewable energy on the roof makes that possible
Despite the cultural significance of St Mary’s, the rooftop array received “no objections”, says Larry Austin, the church’s lead for sustainability. In fact, the cost of the 116-panel installation was covered by the congregation.
Like the Sea Life Scarborough installation, the array on St Mary’s church was also an engineering puzzle, albeit for different reasons. “We have a small bat population [in the roof],” says Austin.
Working outside of mating and hibernation seasons so as not to disturb the bats, engineers fitted latest-generation panels to the church’s roof. “[Modern panels] are easier to install and lighter, which gives us the flexibility to put them on more unique roofs,” explains Hogg.
St Mary’s church in nearby Ferndown has also seen the light, transforming its rooftop into a mini solar farm. Image:
The array on St Mary’s means the church is now spreading a new kind of message: one of hope and resilience, of taking positive action. “The church is probably the most prominent building in Ferndown,” says Austin. “I think that it’s a really positive statement to the community that it is playing its part in the climate and ecological crisis that we are living through.”
The solar panels atop Good Energy’s new offices in Ringwood, Hampshire, meanwhile, are more explicit in their messaging, having been arranged to spell the name of the company on its roof. “You can see us from space,” jokes Hogg. “Well, maybe not, but it looks cool.”
It’s not just a marketing gimmick, it’s a reminder of what’s now possible with solar. For Andrews, Sea Life Scarborough is the benchmark – a gauntlet laid down so we can look at buildings differently and see possibilities in the impossible. “I hope this will be a real showcase for how renewable energy can be integrated into different building shapes,” he says. “The end result looks exceptional.”
Main image: Toby Smith
