Successful Solar PV Installations at Educational and Commercial Properties in Rochdale

Successful Solar PV Installations at Educational and Commercial Properties in Rochdale

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council was looking for a partner to deliver solar PV installations at two Council owned properties. Belfield Community School offers primary-level education to over 400 pupils and had secured funding through the Unlocking Clean Energy for Greater Manchester program. Globe House is a council-owned 2-storey office that provides a modern hub for small and medium-sized businesses to develop in the local area. Following a competitive tender process through the GMCA Go Neutral Smart Energy Framework, CorEnergy was awarded the work.

The first big challenge of this project was the timeframe allocated. Despite a contract start date in July 2023, all works at the school site had to be completed before the start of the new academic year, with all project elements completed by the end of September in order for the Council to complete a grant claim to the European Regional Development Fund. With this in mind, CorEnergy employed a structural surveyor at its own risk ahead of receiving the official PO. Originally, the contract included two further schools – Greenbank Primary School and Brownhill Learning Community. Following survey, we determined that structural issues at Greenbank and the need for time-consuming roof penetrations at Brownhill would jeopardize the overall program. We advised that these were descoped, which the client accepted.

With the contract now awarded, the installation at Belfield had to be completed 3 weeks after the purchase order was raised to avoid disturbing academic activities. With our in-house PV design team, excellent supply chain management, and local directly-employed installation team, CorEnergy was able to meet this challenge:

• Work was reprioritized in our design team for the initial schematics to be released within a day.
• PV modules were delivered from our existing stock
• Orders for the inverters were expedited by our Solen account manager
• Labour was drafted in to enable the entire PV array to be completed in one day

The final specification was a 42.12kW system using Longi 405w panels, Solis inverters and Esdec flat roof ballasted mounting frame. There were further difficulties onsite which were overcome through the experience and adaptability of our team. The initial inverter position proved too cramped once onsite with the isolators installed. A new location was identified, but as it was external to the building the Council had concerns about potential vandals interfering with cables. CorEnergy overcame this by installing a cage over the inverter and capping the containment. All construction works were finished on time and the site was cleared and ready to receive pupils for the new school year.

Disturbance was also the key issue at Globe House. The building houses diverse businesses, including mental health charities, physiotherapists, and social care providers. Noisy works and disruption could make these vital services impossible. Representatives of the building’s management were included in our kick-off meeting with the Council. A communication plan was created to ensure the interests of these stakeholders and the Council were recorded and addressed throughout the project. 

Compound, scaffolding, and waste storage locations were agreed that did not affect the building occupants. Our Project Manager was available throughout the works to address concerns. The Site Supervisor scheduled a daily check-in with the Council’s building manager to discuss the works and any tenant comments. A process was agreed to integrate our system with the main distribution board without disrupting any business operations. The finished installation was a 41.31kW system, using the same components as Belfield School, but with an Esdec trapezoidal roof mounting frame. 

All works were successfully completed in November 2023. Now in operation, the Council expects the new system to reduce CO2 emissions by 36,466kg per year, with the two sites producing 78MW/year. CorEnergy continues to support the Council by monitoring the system through the Solis portal to ensure the systems remain optimised throughout their lifetime.

“We would like to thank Gary and the Cor-Energy team who installed the solar panels at our school this summer. We found the team to be friendly, informative and efficient – in fact, the panels went up incredibly quickly and without issue. We were kept fully informed at the project pre-start of likely timescales and Gary liaised with us in managing the project well over the summer holidays when there could potentially have been difficulties in accessing the site etc. Communication throughout the project was very good and the delivery of the project was pretty seamless! Gary also took the time to discuss the workings of the panels with our school team. A great team to work with – thank you!” - Belfield Community School