£300,000 solar carport at leisure centre is first in the East Riding

East Riding Leisure (ERL) Driffield is home to the county’s first solar carport.

The structure, which cost around £300,000, was unveiled on Thursday 3rd November and was installed by East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC).

The installation is the first of its kind undertaken by the local authority and it is thought to be the first solar carport within the East Riding.

The carport houses 52.4-kilowatt peak (kWp) of solar photovoltaics (pv) along with two 7.4kW dual electric vehicle charging units, meaning four EV can be charged at once between the hours of 6am and 10:30pm.

Solar pv is the generation of electricity using energy from the sun.

The installation at the Bridlington Road facility is expected to generate around 52,200-kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity, reducing the carbon emissions associated with the site by nine tonnes.

The leisure centre uses significant amounts of electricity, with its roof already subject to solar pv installations, with the carport reducing the centre’s electricity bills by almost £20,000 per year.

A spokesperson for ERYC said that ERL Driffield was selected for this installation due to a number of reasons.

They said: “The car park at ERL Driffield is facing in a favourable orientation to maximise the solar pv generation, whilst the roof space has already been fully utilised, meaning that no additional roof areas are available for further pv installations.

“The council’s leisure centres have, understandably, one of the higher energy consumption profiles amongst the corporate portfolio, meaning that all of the solar pv generated can be used by the EV chargers or the building itself.

“The leisure centres also have consistent opening schedules, which again means the solar pv can be utilised at site, therefore ensuring the paybacks are reduced.

“Increasing renewable energy generation at the site will reduce the electricity bills by around £20,000 a year.

“This will help to mitigate against some of the recent increases in energy prices.”

The installation of two electric vehicle (EV) charging units will also support residents of the East Riding in the transition to EV, minimising the range anxiety that can often be felt within a rural area.

Range anxiety is the driver’s fear that a vehicle has insufficient energy storage (fuel and/or battery capacity) to cover the distance needed to reach their destination.

The council’s asset strategy team was successful in securing funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) towards the installation of solar pv, a solar farm, a solar carport and EV charging units across the authority.

The solar carport is seen as an innovative solution to allow the council to add additional renewable energy generation to supply the site.

The scheme cost in the region of £300,000 with almost 50 per cent of the funding coming from ERDF.

The carports and photovoltaics cost around £200,000, with another £100,000 being spent on the foundations, EV chargers and other associated works such as lighting and CCTV.

The council’s infrastructure and facilities team, along with contractor JP developers, ensured the scheme was delivered on time, on budget and with minimal disruption to the centre users.

Cllr Chris Matthews, portfolio holder for environment and climate change at ERYC, said: “It is fantastic to see the installation of what is thought to be the first solar carport in the East Riding and certainly the first provided by the council.

“This innovative solution allows us to continue to work towards realising the council’s net zero ambitions whilst also allowing ERL Driffield to reduce their electricity bills during this cost-of-living crisis.

“I’m really pleased this work has been achieved with minimal disruption to our residents and now the people of Driffield have further EV charging units on their doorsteps.”

Darren Jackson, general manager at ERL Driffield, added: “The solar carport is a really innovative way to generate green energy, tackle climate change and reduce our environmental impact.

“It’s a fantastic design that delivers on the environmental benefits without impacting on car park provision for our customers.”