Wiltshire Council has launched the first large-scale Solar Car Park (SCP) in Europe constructed from environmentally-friendly materials, located at the Five Rivers Health & Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury.
The solar car park has been designed to supply over 10% of the centre’s electrical needs, equating to an annual saving of approximately £50,000, and features an innovative design using Glulam timber beams and Glass-Glass solar panels. These materials were chosen for their sustainability credentials and their lower environmental impact compared to traditional materials like steel or concrete.
Glulam, a type of engineered wood, offers strength and sustainability advantages, being significantly lighter and requiring considerably less energy for production than equivalent steel beams.
Additionally, the installation employs Spirafix ground anchors instead of conventional concrete bases, leading to reduced carbon emissions and a quicker installation process. These anchors can also be recycled, aligning with the project’s eco-friendly ethos.
Covering 70 parking spaces, the solar canopies will generate an estimated 186MWh of electricity annually, sufficient to power 50 homes and save 36 tonnes of carbon emissions. This contribution is akin to planting nearly 600 trees and driving an electric vehicle over 679,856 miles.
Additionally, the centre has installed the Papilio3 pop-up solar car park and electric vehicle (EV) charging hub, capable of fast charging up to 12 EVs concurrently. This installation represents the first of its kind in a UK leisure centre and supports the transition to zero-emission vehicles by enhancing local EV charging infrastructure.
Philip McMullan, Senior Technical Lead on Major Energy Projects at Wiltshire Council, remarked, “We have invested heavily in sustainability to achieve our 2030 carbon neutral goals. The new solar installations at Five Rivers will help reduce our carbon footprint and support the local community with the transition to zero emission motoring by strengthening the county’s EV charging infrastructure.”
Tim Evans, Founder & CEO at 3ti, added, “Our job is to champion workplace and destination EV charging to promote a ‘charge where you stop’ mentality across the UK, while supporting customers to achieve their sustainability goals. Better EV charging infrastructure at destinations with long dwell times – offices, hospitals, and leisure facilities like Five Rivers – will encourage greater EV adoption rates; it’s refreshing to see Wiltshire Council adopting such a forward-thinking approach, and we are honoured to play a part in their sustainability vision.
“We are constantly evolving our SCP products and are proud to feature these innovative new designs, construction materials, and techniques at Five Rivers. Introducing these features means we can offer better durability and versatility than conventional materials and significantly reduce carbon emissions generated across the entire product lifecycle. This installation marks a major milestone on our journey to supporting customers and society as a whole; we will continue to work with facilities around the UK to roll out installations to support future generations and ‘leave something better behind’.”