Our Renewable Energy Plans
We already use 100% renewable energy at The Wave, via Ecotricity, but our long-term vision has always been to generate our own power and be able to go off-grid. Our plans on this are now moving forward.
We have submitted an application to install solar technology on site, comprising solar panels, solar energy storage and electric vehicle charging points, as follows:
- Ground-mounted Solar Panels – The solar farm will cover an area of unused, poor quality agricultural land within the Wave site, close to the main facility.
- Solar Car Port - This will provide 12-14 covered parking spaces that generate clean renewable energy from the top-mounted solar panels. They will also create a visible link for visitors between the onsite solar generation and the 8 electric vehicle charging facilities within the car park.
- Solar Smartflower - A Smartflower sun-tracking solar device will also be installed near to the clubhouse as another solar focal point for visitors to the site.
The renewable energy generated by the technology will be used to power our day-to-day operations, and for electric vehicle charging points in the main car park. This technology is an integral part of our overall vision of creating an environmentally friendly and sustainable facility.
In total, the solar panel installations will consist of approximately 8,800 panels and generate close to 3,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) in one year. Our estimated current usage is approximately 2,400,000 kWh/year, therefore we will generate more renewable energy on-site than we consume. This will make us a Net Zero company from an operational point of view.
A Flow Machine energy storage solution will also be located with the solar farm. This will store energy generated by the solar arrays, which is not immediately used onsite (when solar generation exceeds demand) so that this can be consumed at other times (when demand exceeds solar generation and when grid energy is more expensive).
Four dual EV charging points will be installed in the main car park to create eight spaces enabled for charging. These will be located under the car port canopy to emphasise the link between the renewable energy generation and power being delivered to the vehicles. The charging points are expected to deliver between 20-30 miles per hour of charging.
The installation of this renewable energy technology will have a number of benefits:
- Decarbonising the energy consumption at The Wave – Renewable energy generated from this project will be fed into the electricity supply of The Wave. The proposed technology is forecast to generate c.113% of the site’s energy usage
- Low Carbon Demonstration Project - This project will act as an example to other businesses of holistic renewable energy generation installation co-located with energy storage and EV charging
- Environmental benefits – The renewable energy generated on site will enable a reduction in Greenhouse Gases (GHG) of 1,124 Tonnes per year
- Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Hub – opportunity for visitors and staff to charge their electric vehicles, delivering between 58,000 and 87,000 of emission-free miles to EV owners annually
- Increased promotion of EV adoption - The adoption of EVs has been proven to be linked to the availability of public charging facilities. By providing an eight-bay fast charging hub at the site for staff and visitors, this project will specifically address this issue
- Educational opportunities – Education is a key part of The Wave’s ethos and the proposed solar technology provides the opportunity for school groups to understand solar generation up close and how renewable energy generation can decarbonise the UK’s electricity supply
- Reduced pressure on the national electrical grid infrastructure - Embedded Generation is crucial to the long-term delivery of a low carbon energy network. As well as providing locally sourced energy, it also reduces the amount of power the grid needs to move around nationally
- Climate Emergency – the proposals align with South Gloucestershire Council’s climate change strategy implemented following their climate emergency declaration.
The detailed planning application can be found here.
If anyone from the local community has queries about our renewable energy plans, then simply drop us an email on community@thewave.com