The 80 kWp Exeter University solar panel system designed by British experts Solarsense features the best technologies on the market to maximise yield.

Solarsense have completed a challenging solar solution for the new seven-storey, 7,500m2 Living System building at Exeter University. The building is also known as LSI and has been designed to embed inter-disciplinary research practice with complementary expertise in biosciences, medicine, physics, engineering, mathematics and computer science. The building is expected to open to researchers and students in the autumn of 2016.

The project was challenging in a number of ways – the roof itself was multifaceted and complex, featuring a number of elements such as vents and a chiller compound. Careful design considerations led to the conclusion that the best possible solution should feature high efficiency SunPower E20/327Wp modules to achieve optimal power density, at a pitch of 15° to achieve the best balance between space, yield and ballasting weight. BlackMagic optimisers would be specified for two reasons – i) to overcome shading issues and harvest the maximum string output. ii) flat roofs in Exeter tend to attract gulls for nesting and the use of panel-level power management helps ensure high system performance when module cleaning is not an option.