LC Swansea Solar PV System

LC Swansea transformed rising energy costs into long-term financial savings with a 283kWp rooftop solar PV system, cutting electricity spend by £48,470 per year and unlocking more than £1.2 million in savings over the next 25-years.

Client

Freedom Leisure

Sector

Sports & Leisure

Technology

Solar PV

System Size

283.36 kWp

Est. Annual Output

274,835 kWh

Est. Annual Carbon Savings

63,050 kg

Est. Year One Savings

£48,470

Est. 25 Year Savings

£1.2 million +

Swansea Leisure Centre Solar PV installation

Swansea Leisure Centre Solar PV System in Wales

Leisure Centre

LC Swansea is one of Wales’ leading leisure facilities, located on Swansea’s waterfront and operated by Freedom Leisure on behalf of Swansea Council.

Home to Wales’ biggest indoor water park, the LC features swimming pools, waterpark attractions, fitness suites, gyms, studios and family leisure facilities, welcoming more than 1.8 million visits annually across Swansea’s Freedom Leisure network.

Operating within a highly energy-intensive environment with substantial electricity demand across long opening hours, reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions has become an important focus for the leisure group.

Freedom Leisure is targeting Net Zero across its operations by 2030 and has already implemented a range of sustainability and carbon reduction initiatives across its Welsh leisure facilities, including energy efficiency measures, operational improvements and behavioural change programmes.

As rising energy costs continue to challenge the leisure sector, Freedom Leisure has invested in solar PV and battery storage across more than ten sites to reduce operational costs, improve energy resilience and support its long-term Net Zero ambitions.

At LC Swansea, previous energy-saving measures have included LED lighting upgrades, improved pool covers and enhanced pool hall ventilation systems designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce overall energy consumption.

Swansea Council, together with its leisure partner Freedom Leisure, successfully secured funding through the Sport Wales Capital Grant programme to support the installation of a 283kWp commercial solar PV system at LC Swansea. SolarSense was appointed to design, install and maintain the rooftop solar PV array, which is expected to generate approximately 274,835kWh of renewable electricity annually.

Solar PV System

The leisure centre solar PV system installed on the roof of LC Swansea comprises 616 high-efficiency 460W TCL Solar PV modules, selected for their strong energy yield, reliability and performance. The solar panels were mounted using a specialist flat roof mounting system, providing a secure, low-ballast solution while minimising impact on the existing roof structure.

To optimise system performance, the installation incorporates SolarEdge Synergy three-phase inverter technology. The Synergy range was selected to provide enhanced system scalability, simplified maintenance and improved operational resilience across the large-scale installation.

The system also integrates SolarEdge S1000 power optimisers at panel level, enabling each solar module to operate independently rather than being limited by the performance of neighbouring panels within a string. This panel-level optimisation technology helps maximise overall system yield, improve monitoring visibility and reduce the impact of partial shading, soiling or module mismatch across the array.

To further enhance operational safety, the installation incorporates a SolarEdge Firefighter Gateway with integrated SafeDC™ functionality. In the event of inverter shutdown, grid isolation or emergency response activation, SafeDC™ automatically reduces DC voltage at module level, helping protect maintenance personnel and emergency responders. The Firefighter Gateway also provides rapid shutdown functionality and centralised safety management capability across the solar PV installation, supporting enhanced compliance, system protection and emergency access procedures.

The solar PV installation was carefully designed around the operational requirements of the live leisure environment, incorporating dedicated maintenance walkways, external roof edge clearances and strategically positioned inverter and cable routes to ensure safe long-term access and minimal operational disruption.

From the client

“With utilities being one of our biggest costs, when there is instability in the market, we feel it. When prices rocketed in the energy crisis our annual fuel costs across the group and all its centres went from £8m to £22m for the year. Having solar produce energy annually will help mitigate this and increase our energy security and our resilience. Here at this centre in Swansea, we are looking at a saving of around £44,500 each year and so will see a return on our investment within 3.5 years.

Angela Brown – Head of Sustainability – Freedom Leisure

Protect Your Business from Rising Energy Costs with Solar PV and Battery Storage

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