Solar photovoltaics (PV)
You can find out much more about the information and stats highlighted on this page from our spring 2020 progress report.
An environmental good news story
Solar generation is a good news story for Shropshire Council, growing year on year since 2012 with solar arrays installed across 27 sites and a peak capacity of over 1.2MW. The cumulative energy generated since the first installation in 2012 is 5,778,895kWh (that’s enough electricity to boil water for over 300 million cups of tea, or power 2,000 Shropshire homes for a year!). The total carbon dioxide emissions avoided since installation is over 2,000 tonnes. This is carbon dioxide (CO2) saved by not using electricity from power stations, which sometimes burn fossil fuels and release CO2 into the atmosphere.
Solar Photo Voltaic (PV) has matured as a technology. It's a proven method of generating electricity, and produces zero emissions and zero noise, and the annual and daily predictability of solar ensures generation can be reliably forecast. 70%-reduced manufacturing costs have lowered the install costs, and increasing grid-electric costs make solar PV, alongside other renewable energy types, an attractive proposition. Solar PV is now a key contributor to the UK’s energy mix for zero carbon clean generation on a commercial scale, ground- and roof-mounted on businesses and domestic dwellings. Depending on the time of year, the UK's contribution to its energy mix into the National Grid from low carbon energy generation can typically vary between 30% and 70%, and was 45% in 2018.
SolarEdge Monitoring Systems
Our newer sites are on a system called SolarEdge and the following links allow you to monitor the live performance of these sites:
- Enterprise House
- Shrewsbury Market Hall
- Tannery – Student Accommodation
- Greenacres Farm (live link to follow shortly)
Solar energy, and financial and carbon benefits
| Year | Energy (MWh) | Savings (£) | Savings (t.CO2e) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 460 | £44,197 | 255 |
| 2013 | 603 | £61,257 | 313 |
| 2014 | 616 | £65,573 | 287 |
| 2015 | 626 | £64,656 | 247 |
| 2016 | 841 | £86,906 | 260 |
| 2017 | 755 | £89,349 | 209 |
| 2018 | 804 | £100,508 | 247 |
| 2019 | 920 | £114,982 | 255 |
| TOTAL | 5,625 | £627,432 | 2,072 |
The map below provides broad estimates for the energy produced annually for each installation based on the size of system. The financial savings per year are also just estimates based on the system size.