A landmark project which sees 8,545 solarpanels installed on the buildings and car park canopies at Lakeside NorthHarbour, which is owned by Portsmouth City Council, has now been completed.
It is one of the largest car park solar paneland battery storage installations in the country.
This innovative initiative comprises rooftopsolar PV arrays on four buildings and newly constructed solar car park canopiesin three car parking areas, equipped with accompanying battery storage. Thefull network of solar panels is set to generate approximately 4,000MWh peryear. This is a huge amount of energy and is sufficient to power over 1,300average three-bedroom houses for one year.
The energy generated will meetaround 40% of the entire site’s electricity usage and will mean, onvery sunny days and weekends, excess power can be released to the grid. Theproject is estimated to prevent more than 900 tonnes of carbondioxide emissions per year.
The completion of the solar panels and batterystorage installation marks a significant milestone in Lakeside’s and PortsmouthCity Council’s journey towards sustainability and greener energy, in line withthe Council’s Net Zero ambitions.
The Energy Services and Building Projectsteams at Portsmouth City Council have been working to get the panels up andrunning at Lakeside.
Cabinet Member for Greening the City andClimate Action Cllr Kimberly Barrett said: “We are thrilled to havereached the final stage of this groundbreaking project! All teams have beendedicated and relentless in their efforts towards completion. It’s trulyinspiring to see another solar project land at Portsmouth and make a huge steptowards greener energy and our Net Zero goal.”
Simon Bateman, Asset Manager at Lakeside NorthHarbour, added: “This is an excellent opportunity for Lakeside businessesto benefit from the council’s Net Zero target at no direct cost tothem. We are committed to creating a sustainable and environmentallyresponsible workspace for the businesses based here, the largest of its kind inthis region. We recognise our responsibility to reduce environmental impacts,enhance sustainability, and contribute positively to the community and economy.
“This solar project will enable us to have agreen electric supply for all 60 businesses at Lakeside. The environment is afundamental core value at Lakeside – from creating the right atmosphere for ouroccupier community to driving sustainability and efficient use of our valuableresources.”