St Ives Park & Ride to get UK’s largest solar carport
The UK’s largest solar carport has been planned in St Ives. The carport will be 948 kW in size and will use a battery storage system. This will be big news in Cambridgeshire and will form part of a larger project in collaboration with operator UK Power Networks costing a total of £3 million.
The European Regional Development Fund will support the scheme with the council also investing half the money. The car park is set to be covered by three canopies which are all to be fitted with solar panels for a streamlined look and a practical design.
Sustainable energy
The energy created will be used to power LED light bulbs and electric charging points for vehicles that are located nearby. Any extra electricity created will be used as storage in the battery system and sold to customers. This will all help to aid the development of the project through creating more financial avenues to explore.
The carport will be constructed partly out of timber for a strong and durable framework. The oak carport will also create additional storage so it will form a flexible storage solution. Companies such as Bespoak Timber Frames can be used to create many different structures, and design them in a bespoke way to fit in with any design requirement.
Other solar projects
This project is only one of many planned across the country. Bentley Motors has planning permission to create a solar carport in Cheshire, while Nottingham City Council has also erected a solar system at the Harvey Hadden Leisure Centre. Another project is the Sungift project which has a solar panel network constructed on a multi-storey car park in Exeter.
Solar power is big news in the UK and abroad, with many councils and companies turning to this power for their energy needs. For example, Guernsey Electricity plans to install 330 solar panels on the roof while it already has electric cars and vans as part of its commitment to a sustainable future.
Bouygues Energies and Services are designing the solar car park system in St Ives. This company has designed many solar powered ventures in the past. The project along with the other recent ventures across the UK and abroad show how well a microgrid solution can work to benefit the community and address current energy challenges.
