Ceiba Renewables have installed an 8.04kWp Sunpower solar PV system at the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine, Ayrshire. The system will generate in excess of 6,800kWh a year that will supply power to run their offices, workshops and the museum itself.
The Maritime Museum holds an important nationally recognised collection, encompassing a variety of historic ships, artefacts, shipbuilding machinery, machine tools, and fascinating personal items. Many of these exhibits can be found inside the Linthouse Building in Irvine, a unique Grade A listed, 19th—century historic building known as the Linthouse Engine Shop ‘Cathedral of Engineering’.
The solar PV installation uses the most advanced solar PV technology which was chosen by the Scottish Maritime Museum in order to deliver maximum solar yields and unprecedented durability.
The PV system utilises Sunpower X21 335W all-black panels and SolarEdge power optimiser inverter technology. Sunpower’s X21 series of panels hold the world-record for efficiency of any commercially available panel and uses their Maxeon technology which delivers superior performance and greatly enhanced durability over conventional solar PV panels. The SolarEdge power optimiser technology further improves the yield of the PV system, gives firefighter safe isolation of each solar panel and provides detailed monitoring so that should a fault ever develop it can be identified and fixed quickly and with minimal hassle.
Chris Woodland, Commercial Manager at the Scottish Maritime Museum said:
“We are always looking for ways to minimise our operational expenses without impacting on the visitor experience and this is an excellent example of the Scottish Maritime Museum’s dedication to improving its energy efficiency”
Duncan Crosthwaite, Director at Ceiba Renewables said: “The Scottish Maritime Museum had some very specific design considerations as the building is part of a conservation area and we wanted to maximise the available roof space while keeping within planning requirements. In addition to this, the panels needed to be able to withstand the harsh coastal weather conditions. Therefore the Sunpower X21 all-black 335W panels are the perfect solution. The 335W panels look great, give fantastic performance and are extremely durable meaning they’ll give high yields year after year.”
Such is the reliability and performance of Sunpower’s silicon cells that they are being used by the likes of the Solar Impulse 2 which is the first airplane travelling around the world solely powered by the sun and, of more relevance to the Scottish Maritime Museum, the catamaran MS Tûranor PlanetSolar is the first vessel to sail around the world powered completely by solar power. You can read more about MS Tûranor PlanetSolar here: https://global.sunpower.com/solar-case-studies/planet-solar-boat/
You can find out more about the Scottish Maritime Museum, the events they hold and the fantastic work they do in the community here: https://scottishmaritimemuseum.org
Planning on building your dream home, renovating or looking to reduce your home energy bills? Why not come and visit us at the Homebuilding & Renovating Show at the SECC this weekend! The Ceiba Renewables team will be on hand to help with any questions and showcase the latest solar PV technology. Get your free tickets here and visit us at stand 146. The show runs from 10am-5pm on Saturday 21st May and from 10am to 4.30pm on Sunday 22nd May. We hope to see you there!
Ceiba Renewables have pledged to donate a modest $10 (£6.40) to Stand For Trees projects for each solar PV system they install. The move is designed to raise awareness about the over-consumption of the world’s natural resources.
Stand For Trees (www.standfortrees.org) are a charity whose mission is to protect endangered forests and reduce the impacts of climate change. They have a large number of projects across the world trying to help some of the most beautiful and nature-rich ecosystems in Asia, South America and Africa.
For example, the Rimba Raya Orangutan Reserve in Indonesia is one of the most highly endangered ecosystems in the world – the High Conservation Value (HCV), lowland peat swamp forest is home to local communities and over 1,000 at-risk plant and animal species including the Borneo orangutan, clouded leopard and Asian sun bear. Every day mining, paper and palm oil interests lay plans to destroy these forests.
Through the Stand For Trees projects the charity aims to protect endangered species, stop deforestation, empower local communities, protect wildlife, curb climate change and preserve habitats.
Ceiba Renewables’ actions relate to the recent news ( http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/12/humans-have-already-used-up-2015s-supply-of-earths-resources-analysis ) that humanity’s consumption of our natural resources is now 1.6 times that of the earth’s ability to replenish itself. This “ecological deficit” is being witnessed at an ever-alarming rate as witnessed through deforestation, soil erosion, depletion of water resources and the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Every certificate purchased goes towards a particular project of the donators choice and Stand For Trees have estimated that each $10 donation will save approximately 1 tonne of carbon.
Ceiba Renewables’ Debbie Crosthwaite who developed the idea, said:
“As a company and as individuals we at Ceiba Renewables are acutely aware of the long-term legacy that our activities are having on the environment and eco-systems. News stories such as the Guardian’s really hammers home the fact that we need to get away from the corporate model of putting short-term profits over environment, over health, over local communities, etc. According to the World Resources Institute, 80% of the world’s natural forests have been destroyed since the Industrial Revolution and it appears that the rate of destruction is only increasing. While the world’s energy demands is a complex and sometimes thorny issue to discuss, I think one thing everyone can agree on is that there has been more than enough destruction of the world’s ecosystems.
“and we considered a number of similar charities before opting for Stand For Trees”.
“The Stand For Trees certificate is a nice way to start our customer’s off on their solar power experience, so as well as doing a great thing by reducing their own electricity consumption and CO2 emissions, now they’re also having a direct, positive (albeit small) effect on crucial eco systems in vitally important places around the world.”
The government has announced that as of 1st January 2016, the Feed-In Tariffs (FIT) for solar PV will be all but wiped out for any households or businesses who install solar after that date.
Yesterday’s announcement that the government intends to cut the subsidies for solar PV are a major blow to the industry which had reached a period of stability and steady growth with the existing degression model.
Despite subsidies for fossil fuels being more than 8 times higher than subsidies for renewables, and the fact a major decarbonisation of the UK (and world) is required, the UK government has decided it cannot afford to subsidise solar power any more.
The FIT rate for solar power up until 1st January will be:
Up to 4kWp = 12.47p/kWh
4 to 10kWp = 11.30p/kWh
10 to 50kWp = 11.30p/kWh
50 to 100kWp = 9.63p/kWh
From 1st January 2015 the FIT rates will be cut by 87%…
Up to 4kWp = 1.63p/kWh
4 to 10kWp = 1.63p/kWh
10 to 50kWp = 3.69p/kWh
50 to 250kWp = 2.64p/kWh
While solar power will still have a major part to play in moving to a clean energy society in the UK, the government has opted to make solar less attractive for households and businesses and therefore will ensure the adoption of solar power across the country is slowed drastically.
A number of senior people wrote letters to the Guardian in response: Link here
There will undoubtedly be a major rush to install solar PV before the Feed-In Tariff cuts in January.
Given what happened in 2012 when the FIT was cut by 50% and the rush to get installations in before the deadline saw a shortage of components, Ceiba Renewables would advise anyone considering solar to get in touch now to ensure they get the best quality installation.
Duncan Crosthwaite, Director of Ceiba Renewables, said: “The FIT cut is very disappointing, however we are gearing up for a very busy spell in a bid to ensure as many businesses and households can get solar PV installed before the deadline. The last time there was a major cut to the FIT we saw some solar PV systems getting thrown in with little regard for quality, I spoke to people who didn’t even know what panels they had had installed. As a customer, you don’t want to be rushing in to a decision, paying a lot of money and then finding out the product is sub-standard. At Ceiba, we are prepared for a busy 4 months so get in touch with us as early as possible to avoid disappointment.”
Ceiba Renewables are proud to announce their continued partnership with Sunpower, the world’s leading solar panel manufacturer.
Ceiba’s emphasis on quality, durability and performance led them to partner Sunpower in 2013 and that partnership is continuing onwards and upwards in 2015.
Sunpower celebrate their 30th birthday this year and they have become world renowned for their solar panels’ record-breaking efficiency, high yields and fantastic durability. With their unique features Sunpower have become the solar panel of choice for the likes of Warren Buffet, Apple, and the solar-powered plane “Solar Impulse“.
Duncan Crosthwaite, Director of Ceiba Renewables said: “When we install a solar PV system what we want, for our own piece of mind as well as our customers, is durability. Are these panels not only going to last 20+ years without any issues but are they also going to maintain a high performance? With Sunpower they tick all the boxes and some more, they are independently tested to verify their claims, not only that but they back this up with their unprecedented 25 year Product warranty as well as their 25 year Power warranty. When you buy a Sunpower PV system that is installed by Ceiba Renewables you really are getting the best PV system that money can buy.”
To help understand how Sunpower panels are different from conventional solar PV panels, these videos explain their technology:
