News Article
Solar PV System Part Of Flagship £5.7m Regeneration Programme
A state of the art solar PV system has been installed at the Port of Workington by Sundog Energy. The impressive new roof-top solar system forms part of the Cumbria County Council-owned port's on-going £5.7m regeneration programme, jointly funded by Britain's Energy Coast, Nuclear Management Partners and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Comprising of 200 high-efficiency 250kWp solar PV panels, the system will provide the port with free "˜green' renewable energy, harnessed directly from the sun, to offset its daytime running costs. The system is expected to generate 38,440 kWh (units) of electricity in the first year and will also earn attractive feed-in tariff payments for all the power it generates, providing an index-linked income for the next 20 years.
" With payback for a system like this expected in little over 7 years and a projected IRR of around 15%, solar PV is a really compelling proposition for any business at this time." said Martin Cotterell, founder and technical director Sundog Energy. "It makes perfect sense for other businesses in the area to follow the port's lead and capitalise on their roof spaces, start saving money, and help turn the region into one of the most energy-efficient in the country."
According to Jeremy Lihou, port manager, Port of Workington, "As the person driving the project, I would like to express our satisfaction with the installation so far and we look forward to benefitting from the operational savings and generating a regular income from the FIT payments. This is yet another significant milestone in the work being undertaken at this time to turn our port into a serious, multi-modal terminal and provide a vital link in the county's infrastructure moving forward."
