Ancient Building Refreshed with REC solar panels

Have you heard of the Gloucester Cathedral? The 1,000 year old building in Gloucester, England hosted the coronation of King Henry III, is the final resting place of King Edward II, and was a featured location in Harry Potter movies 1, 2, and 6. And now, it is the oldest building in the world with a solar energy installation with 150 solar panels from REC Solar on its roof.

When adding a solar installation to such a historical building and heritage site, special care and consideration must be taken when choosing an installer, suppliers, and brands for the required components. For this unique and sensitive project, Mypower was awarded the prestigious installation contract, for which they trusted REC solar panels.

After just three weeks, the 38 kW system is made up of 150 REC Peak Energy BLK2 solar panels. Each year, 27,500 kWh of electricity will be generated by the solar energy installation, which is enough to meet the annual electricity needs of seven English households. In terms of economics, the Cathedral’s energy costs will be reduced by 25 percent, saving it GBP 190,000 (approximately US$250,000) over the next 25 years. Of course, the installation provides a very positive environmental impact as well; ofsetting 16 tons of CO2 emissions each year, equivalent to planting 3.5 acers of forestry per annum.

Aesthetics is often a concern with rooftop solar instal-lations. With the Gloucester Cathedral’s roof 30 meters high, the panels are well hidden from ground view. Despite this, however, Mypower recommended to install REC Peak Energy BLK2 solar panels (BLK2 meaning that the frame and backsheet of the solar panel are both black), for a clean and harmonious integration into the building’s roof.

Beyond aesthetics, Mypower was faced with the challenge of how to install the panels without puncturing the roof or afecting the structure of the ancient cathe-dral. For this, they turned to Sunfxings, who specially designed a non-penetrating rail system onto which the panels were installed. The rails were placed on the roof and kept in place by 4.5 tons of ballast using concrete blocks, which are easily hidden by the solar panels. With this solution, the roof remains in original condition, as no holes were made nor fttings attached to the lead roof, and the system securely positioned.

The project demonstrates the strength and success of REC Solar’s channel marketing programs. Mypower are certifed REC Solar Professional installers, and were supplied panels by distributor and REC Solar Gold Partner Wind & Sun. The REC Solar Partner Program (for solar distributors/wholesalers) and REC Solar Professional Program (for solar installers) each provide tailored benefits to help REC Solar customers grow their businesses.

In October, Mypower and their Gloucester Cathedral installation were notable winners at the Solar Power Portal Awards in the Commercial Rooftop installation category. In addition to being a pioneering installation and overcoming the challenges associated with the project, the system is also overperforming. After 11 months of operation, energy yields are already 5 percent ahead of predictions.

Mypower is a specialist in rooftop solar installations having installed 30,000 solar panels since 2012, 95 percent of which have been from REC Solar. They strongly recommend REC Solar for reliability, product quality, energy yield, company stability, and overall best value for money.

The Gloucester Cathedral’s going-solar contributes to the Church of England’s “Shrinking the Footprint” campaign, aiming to reduce its electricity costs by an ambi-tious 80 percent by 2050.

REC Solar panels are installed at additional holy sites including Morgenster Church in Leeuwarden, Netherlands and the Minara Masjid mosque in Mumbai, India. Recognizable brands such as Audi, IKEA, Costco, Heineken, Aldi, and Rolls Royce have all also gone solar using REC Solar.