Solarcentury, the UK’s leading solar electricity company has completed one of Berlin’s largest roof top solar power systems.
The size of a large football pitch, the 305 kWp system was designed for the solar manufacturer Sulfurcell by Solarcentury in London, using Sulfurcell solar-cell technology.
Solarcentury used its lightweight ‘Fast Sun’ framing system, to maximise the number of panels and increase returns from the roof to power the manufacture and development of Sulfurcell thin-film solar modules.
For UK businesses wanting similar systems the company recently announced it has teamed up with independent asset manger Foresight to finance large-scale rooftop projects, offering any business with a large roof space the chance to benefit from solar PV.
Dr. Nikolaus Meyer CEO of Sulfurcell said: “We chose to work with Solarcentury as it has unparalleled experience in building integrated solar system engineering which nicely fits to our modules being optimised for solar constructions.
“Solarcentury and Sulfurcell have found the very best solution for integrating solar onto our building, using the low pitch Fastsun framing system ideal for generating significant power from the roof. Our engineers showed commitment throughout the project to deliver what we believe is one of the highest calibre solar installations in Germany.”
The owner and operating company of the installation is btb Energie-versorgungsgesellschaft mbH, a medium-sized business with headquarters in Berlin. Its core business is the decentralised energy supply of residential and commercial property with highly efficient CHP and renewable energy plants.
Derry Newman, CEO, Solarcentury said: “Solarcentury works across Europe to provide both commercial, public sector and residential solar power. We want to increase accessibility to solar, we use our experience and engineering skills to provide the best solution for the customers and their buildings.
“With the Feed-in tariff now in the UK, we expect to see many more commercial organisations looking to generate revenue from their roof in the same way.”
Germany has grown its PV capacity by ten times in a decade thanks to its early introduction of a FIT, solar PV now accounting for 2% of Germany’s electricity and forecast to deliver 7% by 2020.
The Feed-in tariff (FIT) was introduced in the UK this year to encourage similar investment in renewable energy and cut C02 emissions. Organisations with a large property portfolio, such as retailers, warehouse owners, the public sector and, increasingly, farmers are now looking at investing in solar to provide clean electricity and, if owned, a guaranteed revenue stream.
The FIT for larger systems, 100 kWp to 5 MW, in the UK is 29.3p per unit of electricity, giving a potential income of £125k per year, and savings of £1,425k over 25 years, for a building with a 500kWp system4. Other commercial rates are 31.4p per unit generated for systems 10-100 kWp.
Solarcentury operates across Europe and has helped hundreds of commercial companies go solar with its range of solar engineering solutions. In the UK, these include Transport for London, The Metropolitan Police, London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority and The Big Yellow Storage Company.
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