EoW January 2014

35 / 108

January 2014 33
Bright way
forward for
Air Control
Air Control Industries in Axminster, UK,
is benefiting from a bespoke 50 kW solar
PV array on its factory roof, which is
generating significant yields and helping
lower its energy bills.
The system, which uses BenQ Solar
panels, was installed at the end of 2013
and has already generated in excess of
40,000 kWh.
Nick Wilson, purchasing manager at Air
Control Industries, said: “Solar PV is an
obvious choice for us, as it makes perfect
financial sense: the payback period is
short and we’re continually generating
free electricity that receives Feed-in Tariff
payments. The spin-off is that it’s great for
our green credentials too.”
With a large surface area and suitable
geographical location, solar PV appeared
at first glance to be a straightforward
solution.
However, after Exeter-based SunGift
Energy carried out an initial survey and
consulted with structural engineers, it
was clear that any solution would not
only have to generate the maximum
amount of electricity using high quality
panels, but also maintain the structural
integrity of the roof.
To make this possible, SunGift’s design
team – led by Oliver Grogono – liaised
closely with an independent firm of
structural engineers and designed a
system with sufficient spacing between
the rows of panels to ensure that the roof
structure wasn’t compromised at any
time. This enabled SunGift to make the
best use of the roof’s existing structure,
minimise the loading, and provide a
system that met Air Control Industries’
needs.
Nick Wilson added: “SunGift did an
excellent job, and – if the structure of our
roof will allow it, with some additional
strengthening – we will seriously consider
increasing the size of the system to 250
kW.”
The system also included three Sputnik
Engineering SolarMax inverters. These
Swiss-made inverters are very efficient,
meaning that the amount of electricity
generated by the PV panels is maximised.
Air Control Industries – UK
Website: