London Blackfriars railway station is undergoing a major redevelopment that will see it install a huge solar PV panel system. The system, estimated to reduce carbon emissions by 50% and generate 1.058MW of renewable electricity, will cover some 6000m2 of roof area.
The panels will be installed as part of a £550m redevelopment of the station that will include:
• A large array of solar PV panels
• Sun pipes
• Rain harvesting systems
• Thermal insulation
Simon Kirby, Network Rail Director of Investment Projects said:
“As a business we recognise the challenges of climate change and have a responsibility to consider this in the planning, construction and delivery of significant rail projects.
“The use of PV cells on the landmark London Blackfriars redevelopment is a major step that underlines our commitment to meeting this challenge. Not only will it help reduce our overall carbon footprint, but it is also an important benchmarking exercise which will allow us to better understand and measure over time the benefits of this technology and its future application.”
The solar PV panel installation on Blackfriars station is likely to be among the largest installations in the UK and will be a major step in improving the awareness of solar PV and its benefits. With large scale solar PV installations such as this highlighting the effectiveness of solar panels in reducing both emissions and expenditure, more and more commercial properties are likely to begin investing in solar panels.
For most home and business owners, solar PV panels can also provide further savings through the Government Feed-in Tariff scheme. This scheme is government funded and rewards property owners with payments based on how much renewable electricity they produce. The scheme is guaranteed for 25 years and makes solar PV a highly attractive financial investment as well as a green improvement.
