Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust approached Solarsense to design and install a solar PV system to power its Head Office and Visitor Centre.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust - Solar PV Case Study - Solarsense

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  • Client

    Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

  • Sector

    Non-Profit

  • Technology

    Solar PV

  • System Size

    27.28kWp

  • Estimated Annual Output

    22,717kWh

  • Annual Carbon Savings

    4,814kg

  • Payback Period

    4 years

  • 25 Year Net Profit

    £454,903

Client

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is an independent charity dedicated to protecting the natural environment in Gloucestershire, England. Established in 1961, the Trust manages over 50 nature reserves, offering vital habitats for wildlife and opportunities for people to engage with nature. These reserves include diverse ecosystems such as woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and grasslands, supporting a wide array of flora and fauna, including rare and threatened species. Beyond its reserves, the Trust collaborates with farmers, landowners, and local authorities to foster a connected and resilient natural landscape.

Supported by members, donors, and volunteers, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust is part of the UK-wide Wildlife Trusts movement, working together to address the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss at both local and national levels. At a local level, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust leads initiatives to tackle these issues, including innovative rewilding projects, sustainable land management practices, and community-driven conservation efforts. Nationally, it collaborates with other Wildlife Trusts to influence government policy, champion nature-based solutions, and promote the creation of a Nature Recovery Network.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has adopted a variety of environmental measures to improve sustainability. These include using cedar cladding sourced from their nature reserve, installing overnight storage heaters, implementing natural air conditioning (passive cooling) in their buildings, adding extra recycling units, and providing bike sheds to encourage cycling. Additionally, the Trust has created rain gardens to collect and utilise water efficiently and is now exploring alternative methods of generating and storing their own energy on-site.

Solar PV System

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust initially relied on utility companies providing renewable energy to power its sites. However, the team identified that the Head Office and Visitor Centre at Robinswood Hill Country Park accounted for their highest energy costs. To address this, they explored options to reduce expenses and allocate more funding toward conservation efforts. Acting on a strong recommendation from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, they approached Solarsense for a solution.

Following a detailed feasibility study, including a technical review and site survey, the design engineers at Solarsense specified a 27kWp solar PV system comprised of 440W solar PV panels and SolarEdge optimisers. This allowed the trust to maximise their on-site energy generation from the available roof space and significantly reduce their reliance on buying electricity from the National Grid.

By opting for SolarEdge optimisers and online monitoring, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust were able to overcome an issue with shading on their roof caused by nearby trees. In a conventional solar PV system, the solar panels are connected in strings and if one panel is shaded it will affect the output of all the panels in the connected string. In comparison with SolarEdge optimisers, each solar panel or pair of panels operate independently, ensuring the PV system operates to its maximum potential. SolarEdge also offers several enhanced safety features, as well as a detailed monitoring portal to enable businesses to get a full picture of what the solar PV system is generating, how much energy is being used on-site and what is being exported to the grid.

Services provided

  • Feasibility study including detailed technical design and financial forecasting
  • Full supply, installation, commissioning and testing
  • Online monitoring portal configuration
  • Full handover including MCS registration, G99 grid connection, operation and maintenance pack

From the client

“We work hard to reconnect people with nature, and to show them ways they can help make a difference. Now we can point to our Solar PV as an example of how we run our business sustainably, saving precious funds for our work in the county. The actual installation was made wonderfully easy. The team guided me through the process and were sympathetic to our site and needs a a visitor centre. If I had to score them, it would definitely be ten out of ten.”

Lenka Cmelakova, Multi-site Facilities Manager at Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

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