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Solar PV installed at St Georges

St George's Church, the parish church of Wash  Common in Newbury, Berkshire, has switched on its newly installed photovoltaic (PV) panels taking a significant step towards reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and becoming one of the first carbon neutral churches in the UK.

Phase 1 of the project has focused on installing PV panels on the south side of the church roof after reinforcing the structure first, and replacement of the uniquely designed barrel-vault ceiling with an insulated alternative.

St George's was awarded a number of grants including £38,000 by the Low Carbon Buildings Fund however restrictions on this grant meant it had to be spent by the end of February 2011, thus exerting significant time pressures on the entire project. Even with a successful fundraising campaign, the project still faced a shortfall of almost £50,000 at the end of January 2011 and it was only after a last-minute push by the congregation that the project was able to go ahead.

The 129 PV panels will produce just under 25 kilowatt peak output which will mean the church is able to generate enough electricity for its own needs but also some surplus which will be sold to the grid, via the government's FIT scheme.

"The installation of the panels was part of Phase 1 of our plans, which also included major ceiling work to enable the ceiling to be insulated, secondary glazing of windows and replacement of rainwater guttering and piping. The total cost was paid half by the congregation and half by external funding. We are now planning for further work, including extracting heat from the ground using deep boreholes, to make the church carbon neutral, warm, welcoming and a major community resource". Rev Paul Cowan, Vicar, St George’s, Newbury

 For more information visit: www.georgegoesgreen.org andwww.st-george-newbury.org

 Solaris Developments, the company behind the installation of the PV panels brought a team of engineers and equipment over from Germany and this represents their first project in the UK.

You may also be interested in theYour Church and Solar PV information sheet that features the solar PV project at St Georges.

 

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