THE COUNTY HALL SOLAR CARPORT, STORAGE AND EV CHARGING PROJECT
Northumberland County Council has embarked on a new green technology development, aimed at reinventing urban architecture to incorporate more sustainable energy sources. Unanimously approved by members of the Castle Morpeth Local Area Committee, The County Hall Solar Carport is one of the largest in the UK.
Partially funded by the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 with match-funding from the council, the solar energy generated will power EV charging infrastructure for staff and fleet vehicles and all excess will be diverted to the main building of the council headquarters. Tackling the council’s carbon emissions at the source and helping support their aim to half emissions by 2025.
SCOPE
Covered in an 800kW solar array and with 400kW of battery storage, the £3.8 million structure required to be completely self-reliant: producing its own energy to charge electric vehicles in parking spaces sheltered by the carport whilst also diverting the remaining energy to the council building itself. Naturally, this means the charging network would need to be compatible with solar charging.
Furthermore, located outside of the Castle Morpeth County Hall, charge point infrastructure would need to be established to support the charging of all staff and fleet vehicles entering the site. Including advanced information on vehicle metrics and the ability to accurately monitor the site’s energy usage.
SOLUTION
The council opted for 100 Rolec EV fast chargepoints to support the charging of their staff and fleet vehicles. The network of 22kW SecuriCharge units met their requirements for a durable solution with a small footprint, thanks to its robust and sleek, wall-mounted design.
Powered by Monta’s back office, the completed chargepoint network also has access to the most advanced features for fleet management. Such as a fully integrated approach to vehicle metrics, giving you information on battery size, state of charge, charging percentage and location, as well as other details.
BENEFIT
It is anticipated the new solar energy infrastructure will save between £100,000 and £150,000 on energy costs each year, which can be invested in Council services. As well as this, it is estimated over 250 tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved each year assisting the Council to meet its target of cutting its own emissions in half by 2025.
Not only does the project serve an economical purpose it also supports a healthy grid system and makes renewable energy infrastructure a part of the city landscape.
‘It’s great to see this initiative come to fruition which will save a massive amount on council energy supply spending and will also reduce the need for us to rely on fossil fuels to power our main building. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in making this happen. It is a real example of using innovative technologies to move us towards a cleaner and more sustainable future.’ - Councillor Glen Sanderson, Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate Change
Northumberland County Council