Designed and executed by the team at Solr, this commercial renewable energy project transforms unused peripheral land into a high-yield power generation and storage asset for the Gloucestershire County Football Association. The system is engineered to dramatically reduce grid reliance, cut operational costs, and power high-demand evening sports activities with green energy.
Roof space at the site is limited, and the power demands are high, so for this project planning permission was successfully secured to repurpose the unused ground directly adjacent to the FA’s astroturf pitches. By utilising a ground-mounted racking system rather than relying on roof space, the installation maximises solar yield without interfering with the facility’s primary sporting functions or existing infrastructure.
There was a DNO-imposed export limitation of 22kW on the site, but we factored this into our proposal, along with our projections of the savings and benefits.
System Specifications
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Solar Array: 67 kWp Ground-Mounted PV System, Solarport Mounting, Longi 530W Bifacial Panels.
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Inverter Technology: SolaX Aelio 50 kW Inverter
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Energy Storage: SolaX ESS-Aelio 100 kWh Battery Energy Storage System, including Fire Suppression & Air Conditioning
Key Objectives & System Benefits
1. Evening Load Shifting & Floodlight Power
The operational peak for astroturf pitches naturally occurs in the evening, requiring high-powered floodlighting just as solar generation drops off. The integration of a 100 kWh battery storage system is the linchpin of this design. It captures and stores excess daytime solar generation, holding it in reserve. When the evening training sessions and matches begin, the facility draws from the batteries rather than the grid, effectively powering night-time sports with daytime sunlight.
2. Environmental Sustainability
Aligning with the FA’s broader green initiatives, this 67 kWp system significantly reduces the site’s carbon footprint. By self-generating a substantial portion of their annual electricity requirements, the facility sets a strong standard for sustainable sports grounds and actively reduces its reliance on fossil fuels.
3. Peak Demand Management
High-powered sports lighting creates aggressive spikes in energy demand, with just the lighting adding around 16kW of load alone. The SolaX Aelio 50 kW inverter and paired battery bank work in tandem to smooth out these peaks, easing the strain on the local grid connection and protecting the facility from the highest, most expensive evening energy tariffs.
Projected Benefits
- Annual Generation: 53744kWh per year
- Annual Co2 reduction: 10533kg CO2
- Energy Bill Reduction (Annually): 83%
- Energy Bill Reduction without Battery (Annually): 44%
- Estimated Annual Export Income(At 12p/kWh): £2335
- Estimated Rate of Return: 17.1%
- Payback: 7 Years
Once the system has been installed for a year, we will update these figures to give a real view of the savings made.
Want to learn more about how much your business could save with Solr? Enquire now.
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