Posted: 26 October, 2022. Written by Virginia Graham
Congratulations to RECC members Solarsense UK Ltd and Advanced Renewable Power Ltd for picking up key solar PV awards at the Solar and Storage Live Awards held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham on 19 October.
Solarsense, a RECC member since 2009, was voted Contractor of the Year. The company operates within the residential,commercial, industrial,agricultural and community renewable energymarkets.
Since it was set up in 1995, Solarsense has been responsible for solar PV installations for some of the UK's leading organisations including the NHS and Tesco to Lush Cosmetics and The RSPB. Notable projects underway or completed in 2022 include solar PV installations for the Crown Estate, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Arla Foods and Swansea Arena.
Solarsense was praised for its reputation for providing trusted advice, pioneering renewable energy projects and for its excellent customer service. Solarsense is actively promoting solar thermal technology and the integration of multiple technologies to enable further carbon and financial savings in a period of increasing energy prices.
Advanced Renewable Power Ltd, a RECC member since 2011, was was recognised as the installer of the Residential Solar and Storage Project of the Year at the same awards.
AR Power's winning installation was a solar PV pergola erected in the garden of a 17th Century listed building where neither rooftop nor ground-mounted solar PV arrays were permitted.
AR Power proposed the solar pergoa set against a wall as the only solution that would not be visually intrusive. The system was paired with three Tesla batteries and backup gateway, along with three single phase inverters. By using single phase inverters, AR Power was able to ensure the batteries to continued to supply power to the property on one phase in the event of a powercut. Any excess power could be captured in the consumer's EV using Zappi chargers.
AR Power estimated that the solar pergola system would generate 4,584 kWhs in year one, and that the consumer would use 82% of the solar energy produced. The consumer reports that the targets had been met and that they have installed a sheltered garden seating area under the pergola.
Virginia Graham, Chief Executive of Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd, was one of the judges for the Solar and Storage Live Awards.