The innovative solar carport specialist FlexiSolar has started the construction of a large scale commercial carport at Bentley Motors’ manufacturing headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire. This six-month long project is due to complete in September 2018 and it is set to become the UK’s largest solar carport system to date.
“We are delighted to confirm details behind the large scale solar carport at Bentley’s manufacturing facility in Crewe. This large scale solar carport system is a clear example of an integrated energy solution; and one that utilises an existing parking area without sacrificing valuable land resources,” said Managing Director of FlexiSolar, Robert Carpenter, about the first of its kind large scale construction in the UK.
With 10,000 solar panels with a capacity of 2.7MW, the bespoke solar structure will shelter approximately 1,378 car parking spaces at the Bentley manufacturing facility. FlexiSolar’s solar carport structures are uniquely designed to best fit the requirements and scope of each site; therefore in Crewe, FlexiSolar’s V-Frame Double Row Mono Pitch solar carport design will appear across twenty-seven parking rows.
The solar carport was designed and manufactured by the FlexiSolar team, with the project funded by Guinness Asset Management under a power purchase agreement. In addition, FlexiSolar is also backed by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency driven to support the science and technology innovations that will grow the UK economy.
“We continue to focus on new initiatives that reinforce our commitment to the environment, whether this is introducing alternative powertrain technologies in future models, or our award-winning work to reduce the environmental impact of our factory,” said Peter Bosch, Bentley’s Member of the Board for Manufacturing.
“This solar installation is another example of how we can make our factory more sustainable by using technological innovation. This helps us produce extraordinary cars with responsibly-sourced materials in an efficient manner, while continually striving to reduce the company’s environmental impact,” he concluded.
