Portsmouth to get UK’s “possibly largest” solar parking canopy
Portsmouth City Council has approved what will be one of the UK’s largest solar parking canopies at the Lakeside North Harbour business park. The project will put roof-mounted solar PV arrays across five buildings and three car parks together with 2MW of battery storage.
The Solar PV system will generate more than 4 million kWh’s per annum which says Lakeside North Harbour is the same as powering 1,300 3-bed homes for a year and is projected to save more than 860 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted each year. Lakeside will consume just over 64% of the projected generated power which is 37% of the site’s electricity requirements.
The works will include:
1,820 roof-mounted solar PV panels across 5 buildings
7,105 solar PV panels installed above existing car parking spaces, creating solar canopies
Electric vehicle (EV) charging points with infrastructure to install additional charging points as demand increases
2MW battery installation to store excess solar energy, to be used at peak periods during the day and provide services to the local electricity network at times of high demand
Custom Solar, a Mitie company, will be installing the solar panels, solar canopies, 2MW battery and EV chargers alongside the council’s in-house energy services and building projects team who will be managing and funding the installation. The work will be completed by Autumn 2024.
Councillor Kimberly Barrett, Cabinet member for Climate Change and Greening the City said, “We are constantly aiming to improve our solar power in Portsmouth, and to begin working on possibly the largest solar canopy project in the UK is a great step in coming closer to our goal of Net Zero by 2030 and using greener energy in the city.”
Simon Bateman, Manager at Lakeside added, “This is a fantastic opportunity for Lakeside businesses to benefit from the council’s 2030 net zero target at no direct cost to them. This solar project will enable us to have a 100% green electric supply for all 55 businesses at Lakeside.”
Gary Sucharewycz, Sales Director of Solar and Storage Solutions at Custom Solar, said, “This latest solar project at Lakeside North Harbour continues Portsmouth City Council’s trailblazing approach to decarbonise and diversify energy sources in the city which will also benefit the many businesses based at the business park. With this unique project we’ll be bringing together expertise from across Mitie to deliver a broad range of technology solutions, including rooftop solar and solar car ports, battery storage, LED lighting, electric vehicle charge points and electrical infrastructure services. We’re extremely proud to have been awarded this contract and look forward to continuing our support of the Council and its drive to achieve its net zero goals.”