The Courtyard, Hereford
| System Size | 61 kWp |
| Generation | 50,616 kWh |
| Solar Panels | 120 x 250W REC Peak Energy (2015), 84 x 370W REC Twin Peak 4 (2022) |
| Inverter | 1 x Sunny Tripower 15kW 3 phase (2015), 1 x SolarEdge 30kW 3 phase (2022) |
| Mounting | Van der Valk |
The Courtyard in Hereford is a multi-arts centre with Café and restaurant that welcomes 350,000 plus visitors each year. Its large flat roof is the perfect space to install solar without affected the visual appeal of the large glass fronted building.
The Courtyard started its solar journey in 2015 when Solarkinetics installed 30kWp of solar on two of the higher flat roof areas, generating 10% of its total electricity consumption. The system comprised 120 x REC 250W Peak Energy solar panels with a Sunny Tripower 15kW 3 phase inverter.
Then in 2019, The Courtyard joined forces with other arts and cultural organisations in the UK and Herefordshire Council to declare a Climate and Ecological Emergency. Since then, it’s been on a path to not only reduce its carbon emissions but also its consumption to sustainable levels and encourage others to do so.
“Our motivation for installing solar is to reduce our carbon footprint and also to save costs as our electricity bill is rather large,” said Phillip Pearcy, Head of Operations at The Courtyard. “In 2022, we installed an additional 31kWp of solar bringing the consumption of 300,000kWh per year down to 240,000kWh.”
Now, both solar installations contribute 20% to the electricity requirement in the building.
The 2022 installation comprised 84 x 370Wp REC Twin Peak 4 solar panels installed on the main flat roof space plus 1 x SolarEdge 30kW 3 phase inverter. The break even for the second installation is forecast to be in 2027, just 5 years.
The second solar project went out to competitive tender and Solarkinetics won, helped by a positive experience with the first solar installation in 2015. “It’s great to support a family business and a local contractor, at that,” continued Phillip. “The installation was hassle free and we found the Solarkinetics team friendly and knowledgeable with a “can do” attitude which was much appreciated.”
The second 31kW of solar was installed with part funded by the EU European Regional Development Fund and match funded by Theatres Trust.