{"id":16856,"date":"2025-07-23T01:54:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T01:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/16856\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T01:54:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T01:54:09","slug":"shining-examples-the-renewable-engineering-marvels-reshaping-skylines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/16856\/","title":{"rendered":"Shining examples: the renewable engineering marvels reshaping skylines"},"content":{"rendered":"

These rooftop arrays prove that solar on commercial buildings can be a visual delight \u2013 not to mention a source of significant cost savings<\/p>\n

It was like kitesurfing on a roof,\u201d says engineer Matt Andrews, recalling the merry dance he did with the wind while installing solar panels on top of the Sea Life Scarborough building. It\u2019s a gig that the Good Energy employee \u201cwon\u2019t forget in a long time\u201d \u2013 and not just because of the weather. <\/p>\n

A prominent seafront building (pictured above), the pyramid-shaped aquarium was something of an engineering puzzle for Andrews and his colleagues. Add to that the significance of the well-known structure to the North Yorkshire town and it meant there was much public scrutiny of their handiwork.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the most complex installations we\u2019ve ever done,\u201d says Andrews. \u201cThe shape of the structure and its importance to local people meant we knew everything had to be inch perfect \u2013 there\u2019s no hiding on a site as prominent as this. But we love a challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The 150 panels that flank the attraction generate approximately 70MWh of electricity each year, shrinking the building\u2019s annual CO2 output by around 13.4 tonnes. That\u2019s the equivalent emissions of driving a petrol car for 67,000 miles. The attendant cost savings inspired a similar installation at Sea Life Great Yarmouth. Within four years the panels at both sites will have paid for themselves through energy cost savings. <\/p>\n

According to Andrews, Scarborough locals needed no persuading about the benefits. \u201cThere was so much positive feedback from passersby, about the need to move forward with the times but maintain the heritage. That\u2019s always nice to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Until recently, roofs like Sea Life Scarborough\u2019s may have been written off as unsuitable for a solar array. Advances in panel technology and growing expertise within the booming sector, however, have brought an increasing number of rooftops into play.<\/p>\n

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\n Good Energy\u2019s new office in Ringwood, Hampshire. Image: Good Energy\n <\/p>\n

And there will be many more to come: the UK government has announced that all newbuild homes should include rooftop solar, which could pave the way for more commercial buildings following suit. Factor in skyrocketing energy bills and the falling cost of panels and it\u2019s easy to see why households and businesses are increasingly turning their roofs into mini power stations. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a no-brainer,\u201d says Carl Hogg, managing director at Good Energy Services, the installation arm of Good Energy. \u201cYou\u2019re saving money and you\u2019re more secure, because you\u2019re less exposed to the volatile gas and electricity market \u2013 and you\u2019re doing the right thing for the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

For one leisure centre in Gillingham, Dorset, rooftop solar was the difference between staying afloat or going bust when energy prices skyrocketed following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n

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\n Max Pearce, a solar team leader at Good Energy. Image: Toby Smith\u2028\n <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the energy crisis hit, we looked at the numbers and at that point it was only three months before we [had to] close the doors for good,\u201d says Jake Parry, general manager of RiversMeet, a non-profit charitable trust that runs the leisure facility. \u201cOur electricity costs went from 11p to 88p per kilowatt hour, which meant we had to take action. So we started the process of installing solar.\u201d <\/p>\n

The panels have helped RiversMeet turn things around. \u201cThe charity is now larger than it\u2019s ever been, with more social value than it\u2019s ever had,\u201d says Parry. \u201cHaving renewable energy on the roof makes that possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

St Mary\u2019s church in nearby Ferndown has also seen the light, transforming its rooftop into a mini solar farm. The system went live in April and will save the church and adjoining cafe an estimated \u00a310,000 a year in running costs.<\/p>\n

The charity is now larger than it\u2019s ever been, with more social value than it\u2019s ever had. Having renewable energy on the roof makes that possible<\/p>\n

Despite the cultural significance of St Mary\u2019s, the rooftop array received \u201cno objections\u201d, says Larry Austin, the church\u2019s lead for sustainability. In fact, the cost of the 116-panel installation was covered by the congregation. <\/p>\n

Like the Sea Life Scarborough installation, the array on St Mary\u2019s church was also an engineering puzzle, albeit for different reasons. \u201cWe have a small bat population [in the roof],\u201d says Austin. <\/p>\n

Working outside of mating and hibernation seasons so as not to disturb the bats, engineers fitted latest-generation panels to the church\u2019s roof. \u201c[Modern panels] are easier to install and lighter, which gives us the flexibility to put them on more unique roofs,\u201d explains Hogg. <\/p>\n

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\n St Mary\u2019s church in nearby Ferndown has also seen the light, transforming its rooftop into a mini solar farm. Image:\n <\/p>\n

The array on St Mary\u2019s means the church is now spreading a new kind of message: one of hope and resilience, of taking positive action. \u201cThe church is probably the most prominent building in Ferndown,\u201d says Austin. \u201cI think that it\u2019s a really positive statement to the community that it is playing its part in the climate and ecological crisis that we are living through.\u201d <\/p>\n

The solar panels atop Good Energy\u2019s new offices in Ringwood, Hampshire, meanwhile, are more explicit in their messaging, having been arranged to spell the name of the company on its roof. \u201cYou can see us from space,\u201d jokes Hogg. \u201cWell, maybe not, but it looks cool.\u201d <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just a marketing gimmick, it\u2019s a reminder of what\u2019s now possible with solar. For Andrews, Sea Life Scarborough is the benchmark \u2013 a gauntlet laid down so we can look at buildings differently and see possibilities in the impossible. \u201cI hope this will be a real showcase for how renewable energy can be integrated into different building shapes,\u201d he says. \u201cThe end result looks exceptional.\u201d <\/p>\n

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