Global and award winning sports line marking company, Fleet Line Markers, employed Worcester Renewable Energy to assist it in its drive towards a more sustainable future by installing a photovoltaic system on both its Head Office and manufacturing facility in Malvern. The buildings have been its headquarters since 1980, accommodating nearly 50 staff who provide the support functions for the Company’s global offices as well as manufacturing of its line marking machines and paint.
The roofs now feature 390 of the latest generation of photovoltaic solar panels which utilise the full extent of the appropriately orientated roof spaces. These will generate around 41% towards the average 181,332 kWh/year that Fleet uses.
This is represents a saving of 74,186 kWh, about the same as the average consumption of twenty two domestic dwellings, and a saving of 42,138kg of CO2, or the equivalent of 42 tonnes of sugar!
Iain McGuffie, Managing Director of Fleet Line Markers, said: “The installation will help Fleet reduce its energy requirement and bills, but more importantly it will demonstrate Fleets ongoing commitment to reducing its CO2 emissions. I also hope that it will promote the uptake of renewable energy by other local companies who will have seen our installation progress due to our buildings being located in a such a prominent position on the industrial estate.”
Customer testimonial
“Worcester Renewable Energy Ltd were extremely professional, right from the start when we originally contacted them and then throughout the design and installation process. They also accommodated our tight timescale, completing the installation before the local authority deadline for the grant we were in receipt of expired. I was also impressed with their communication, keeping me abreast of the installation as it progressed. I would highly recommend them.”
Iain McGuffie. Managing Director of Fleet Line Markers.
Following a successful grant application by Fleet Line Markers to the local authority for renewable energy funding, Worcester Renewable Energy was pleased to be appointed to design, supply, install and commission a PV system at its head office in Malvern to help reduce its carbon emissions and energy costs.
Prior to commencing the installation, Worcester Renewable Energy carried out the necessary preliminary items to confirm the feasibility of the proposed installation, including obtaining permission from the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to connect the system and carrying out a structural survey to confirm the ability of the roof to accommodate the static and wind loads to be imposed by the panels and mounting system.
The panel array layouts and location of the inverters and associated electrical components to be installed in the head office and the paint manufacturing building were approved by the customer during a pre-commencement meeting.
Prior to the agreed commencement date of the installation, and arrival of the Worcester Renewable Energy installation team, risk assessments and methods statements were completed to ensure the safety of everyone on site.
Scaffolding was then erected to permit the safe working at height. It had also been agreed during a pre-commencement meeting with the customer that the loading bays would be kept clear of scaffold to allow the business to operate as normal during the installation.
A loading bay was incorporated into the scaffold on the corner of the head office builidng where the least amount of vehicle and pedestrian traffic would occur so that installation activities could be segregated from site staff and the public.
A second loading bay was incorporated into the scaffold for the pain manufacturing building to allow panels to be easily
The loading bay to the paint manufacturing building was kept behind the site security fencing to prevent access from unauthorised personnel.
A working platform was erected internally within the building where the electrical installation was to be carried out to allow the safe working of the electrical installation team.
Scaffold banners to the main elevations were installed to promote the installation and uptake of renewable energy by other businesses in the area.
On arrival to site, the installation team first carried out a full inspection of the roof area receiving the panels for any notable defects requiring prior rectification. No defects were found which was reported to the building facilities manager, allowing setting out of the roof mounting system and panel array to proceed.
Following setting out, installation of the profile sheet roof mounting system was undertaken. The chosen system eliminated the need for mounting rails allowing the panels to sit closer to the roof surface giving it a more aesthetically pleasing and discreet appearance. The absence of mounting rails also reduced installation time thereby reducing the amount of time on site and disruption to the customer.
Completion of the roof mounting system was quickly achieved and signed off by the Worcester Renewable Energy Installation Manager ready for the panels to be installed.
With the roof mounting system complete, the panels were delivered to site into the pre-agreed holding area before being lifted up onto the roof for installation.
Due to both buildings being located close to a busy road and footpaths, the use of a telehandler was not a suitable item of plant for transporting the panels from ground to roof level. Instead, a scissor lift was used which avoided the road and footpaths being compromised.
Pallets of panels were forklifted onto the scissor lift to allow full pallets to be transported to the roof of the paint manufacturing building.
The accurate setting out and fixing of the roof mounting system was verified as the panel arrays quickly took shape, to the panels arrays to the paint building being completed first followed by the panel arrays to the head office.
All panels were handled with care and precision by operatives safely harnessed to protect them from falling from height with the presences of roof light in the roof of the head office building.
A one meter gap around the perimeter of the panel arrays was incorporated to allow future access to the roof for maintenance and to limit the uplift forces on the panels which is greatest at the edge of the roof.
The completed panel installations on the paint manufacturing building.
The completed panel installations on the head office.
Galvanised lids were made to match the with between the existing trapezoidal roof profiles to neatly cover the DC cables to take them off the roof.
Five three phase inverters were installed into the previously agreed positions along with the DC isolators, AC isolators and generation meters.
Once the wiring was complete each of the electrical items was tested and labelled and an electrical schematic with safe shut down and start up procedure mounted adjacent to the equipment for reference by any future competent person needing to work on the system.