RenEnergy has supported Braintree Council with a large-scale 407KW solar panel installation in Essex as part of the authority’s drive to increase efficiency and reduce emissions from its buildings.
Expected to produce over 399MWh of energy annually, the renewable energy specialist installed 983 solar panels on the Witham Leisure Centre, including both solar carports and roof arrays.
Before getting started with the task, the council faced a few initial hurdles. Firstly, the project needed to be delivered before the Sport England Funding deadline at the end of March 2025 and in line with its requirements for funding.
Secondly, as the rooftop and carport solutions were installed at the same time, there were various logistical, resource and health and safety considerations. The scale of the project also meant that numerous local contractors were working on-site together, so clear communication and quick decision-making was vital for bringing the Braintree Council renewable energy vision to life.
To ensure these problems were addressed early on, RenEnergy UK was able to collaborate closely with all of the stakeholders to complete the project before initial deadline. Now, the leisure centre avoids an estimated 59,415kg of CO2 emissions each year and it will be operating at a 34.7% self-sufficiency level. The extra supply of clean energy also means the centre can reduce operational costs on the site with better efficiency and lower emissions from energy.
Witham Leisure Centre has various facilities such as a gym, swimming pool, sports hall and fitness studios and the installation will help reduce their operation costs. The installation is an example of how other leisure centres and local authorities could potentially follow suit and lower energy costs and emissions by generating energy on-site. There may also be the chance to add EV chargers outdoors, to support the current Labour government’s target of having 300,000 charge points across the UK by the end of the decade.
The task has come at a time when numerous local authorities across the UK are navigating renewable energy rollout in line with their sustainability goals. These targets are increasingly important with the current backdrop of the UK’s net zero drive and ambitious goals laid out in the Clean Power 2030 strategy.
The collaboration between RenEnergy UK, Braintree Council and Witham Leisure Centre Management should provide other local authorities with an idea of how to approach these issues. By working together with strategic partners to come up with a detailed plans and execute them successfully, such targets can easily be reached.
Mark Wilson, Sustainability Manager at Braintree District Council said: “We are beyond impressed with the work RenEnergy UK has done to install these solar panels for us. Right now, lots of local councils up and down the country are looking for sustainability solutions and we’ve shown that stakeholders investing in this has immense benefits for everyone.”
RenEnergy’s recent work on the Witham Leisure Centre forms a part of the specialist’s role in clean energy rollout in the UK, which has also seen the company launch its ongoing research on solar car ports. The research has already found 629,000 car park spaces with the potential to have solar carports installed across a range of commercial sites that utilise high amounts of energy. This includes sports facilities such as Witham Leisure Centre, in addition to hotels, educations facilities, airports, hospitals and medical facilities.
By combining parking shelter with solar panel installations, businesses can make their journey of reaching the point of energy independence easier.
Damian Baker, Managing Director of RenEnergy UK said: “As a company, we’ve seen an increase in the number of businesses and local authorities asking us to help them make their workplaces more sustainable.
“It’s great to see more companies starting to take notice of how seemingly small things can make a huge difference. We were able to maximise less space by using rooftop and carport arrays, both of which haven’t disrupted the daily operations of the leisure centre. It’s more than possible to reach environmental targets without reducing the operational efficiency of the buildings we work on.”
For more information on RenEnergy UK, visit RenEnergy UK.
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