Renewables

Given the high cost of energy is likely to persist for the foreseeable future, renewables are an increasingly atractive option. For most clubs and centres, the most obvious solution is solar photovoltaics (PV)

Wind, solar and hydro systems can all be used in appropriate circumstances. However, the most likely system that a club or centre will consider is solar PV. Systems are reliable (no moving parts) and output is reasonably predictable.

When seeking a supplier, apart from obtaining multiple quotes, make sure that whoever does the calculations for you has detailed information on your energy use patterns. The point is that your usage pattern is likely intermittent (weekends in particular, in the summer) so will not match the generation profile. As buying energy from the grid costs far more than the payment you receive to export, it will be worth considering battery storage to ensure as much as possible of your own use comes from your own generation.

If you have showers on site, it is also worth considering a "dump load" switch that heats a large hot water tank (accumulator) when your batteries are full and you are not using all of the energy on site. Again, this maximises the benefit of the system by using the energy on site.

The 40kW system we had quoted for RYA house has a simple payback of 8 years, reducing to 6 years if current energy prices remain the norm. This is, of course, for an office building where energy use more readily matches generation, at least for part of the year. There may be local grants available – we utilized GreenTech South here, supplemented by our local authority business support scheme.