morrison's multi site rollout 2013

Morrison’s multi site rollout 2013

Practical & sustainable energy solutions

GMI Energy I www.gmienergy.co.uk I [email protected] I tel: 0113 819 9777 I fax: 0113 276 0180

“Bridgwater is a terrific example of how solar PV can be successfully deployed on large scale commercial rooftops.”

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Introduction

Morrison’s multi-site rollout

PV installations completed or underway

Project locations to date

GMI Energy are currently completing numerous solar PV installations for Morrison’s new build stores in a variety of locations around the country as far north as Blyth right down to Littlehampton on the south coast, Isle of Sheppey in the east and Gloucester in the west. Shortly the team will be progressing up to Scotland and across to Wales as well as a number of installations in the Midlands.

Part of the rollout has seen the installation of two major systems at Morrison’s distribution centres in Bridgwater and Sittingbourne with almost 3MW of installed solar power. The two systems comprise of roughly 12,000 solar panels.

In order to help achieve it’s ambitious 2020 carbon reduction targets, Morrison’s decided to fit rooftop solar PV to new stores, as well as two of their existing distribution centres in Bridgwater and Sittingbourne. Solar PV is a popular choice for many businesses because it is a flexible and reliable technology that will provide a generous electricity supply, as well as helping to lower carbon emissions by reducing electricity consumption from the grid.

Morrison’s has taken the wise decision to hedge against future energy price rises through self-generation and with guaranteed subsidies for the next 20 years, there is potential to earn considerable revenue from the systems. Furthermore, data from the systems installed so far shows that all are producing above their original forecast and are therefore likely to yield a higher income than was first thought. The self-use savings from the PV systems will also increase as the cost of electricity rises and over the summer months they will contribute a significant proportion of the store’s energy needs. For example, it is estimated that the Bridgwater system was contributing around 17% of the distribution centre’s total electricity requirements over the summer.

The solar project has raised positive public awareness of Morrison’s efforts to cut carbon and gained recognition in the industry as an exemparly project, receiving two awards for Best Commercial Rooftop Installation and Renewable Energy Project of the Year. Minister for Energy and Climate Change Greg Barker commented “…GMI Energy’s award winning project fitting solar panels to the Morrison’s distribution centre in Bridgwater is a terrific example of how solar PV can be successfully deployed on large scale commercial rooftops. I am keen to see more developments like this in the future.”


Energy savings

Forecast energy and carbon savings

Bridgwater - 970 kWp: 843 MWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 263 homes, 456 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Sittingbourne - 1.94 MWp: 1,653 MWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 500 homes, 710 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Hoddesdon - 50 kWp: 38,082 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 11 homes,16 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Littlehampton - 50 kWp: 46,760 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 14 homes, 25 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Bedford - 33.6 kWp: 24,774 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 8 homes, 11 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Blyth - 50 kWp: 34,565 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 10 homes, with 15 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Middlewich - 30 kWp: 19,969 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 6 homes, 10 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Gloucester - 25 kWp: 19,564 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 6 homes, 10 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Neatscourt - 30 kWp: 25,336 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 8 homes, 13 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Cardiff- 50 kWp: 39,698 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 12 homes, 21 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Carterton - 50 kWp: 41,406 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 13 homes, 22 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Kirkcaldy - 50 kWp: 41,175 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 12 homes, 22 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Watford - 50 kWp: 40,482 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 12 homes, 22 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Preston - 50 kWp: 40,852 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 12 homes, 22 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

Swindon- 164 kWp: 123,636 kWh annual average production, enough electricity to power 37 homes, 69 tonnes annual average CO2e savings

The combined output from

Bridgwater and Sittingbourne

alone is enough to meet all the

electricity needs of 763 homes

The Morrison’s project will install

around 4MW of solar PV, saving almost

2000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions

every year...

...That is equivalent to the carbon

sequestered by 50,000 tree

seedlings grown for 10 years!

In the press

Morrison’s solar project PR


Morrison’s have received a lot of publicity from their project with press releases in the Yorkshire Post, local papers in Sittingbourne and Bridgwater, as well as online publications in Business Green, Solar Power Portal and 2degrees network.

Award winning

Solar Power Portal Awards & Energy Awards


Following success at the Solar Power Portal Awards, Morrison’s gained further recognition when the multi-site project as a whole was named Renewable Energy Project of the Year at the prestigious Energy Awards, held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.

The awards covered a wide range of energy aspects including energy efficiency, carbon reduction and water management. Shortlisted for Renewable Energy were an array of exciting renewable energy projects including geothermal and air to water heat pumps, alongside our very own Morrison’s multisite solar PV rollout.

“The judges were impressed by the quality of the entry. The scale of this was demonstrated by the commitment in renewable generation of the supermarket. A practical, repeatable solution.”

Morrison’s Bridgwater project was named Best Commercial Rooftop Installation 2013 at the Solar Power Portal Awards in October of this year. It is reported that there were over 160 applicants for the hotly contested category and we were delighted that our project was selected.

The judges described Bridgwater as simply “a cracking project” and Ray Noble, Photovoltaic Specialist at the Renewable Energy Association and judge at the awards said, “The judges chose this project due to exemplary use of the new roof space, mounting panels both East and West to maximise the generation area available. The installation was designed to be totally invisible from ground level while generating a significant contribution to the buildings electricity requirements. The judges felt that this clearly demonstrates what the future should be for all buildings of this type and this example should encourage others to follow”.

Minister for Energy and Climate Change, Greg Barker, also commented on the project saying, “The Coalition is committed to delivering the clean and reliable energy supplies that the country needs. Solar PV plays an important role in helping us to meet this challenge. “GMI Energy’s award winning project fitting solar panels to the Morrison’s distribution centre in Bridgwater is a terrific example of how solar PV can be successfully deployed on large scale commercial rooftops. I am keen to see more developments like this in the future.”

Monitoring

System monitoring and maintenance


Monitoring is essential to ensure the arrays are performing as expected and alert GMI Facilities Management of any system failures. If a system is down for one month in the summer then you could lose up to 15% of your annual income!We use a combination of two monitoring systems to offer total peace of mind.

All Morrison’s systems are monitored with near real-time data using our advanced monitoring hardware. Data is then collated and analysed to produce ongoing progress reports of how well the systems are performing. To date, Morrison’s systems are performing on average 13.6% above our orignial forecast. The yield from the systems is naturally dependent on the weather, however, if the systems continue to overperform then we would expect they payback period to be brought forward and the overall revenue from the system to increase.

Our forecasts are based on conservative market predictions and accurate production estimates drawn from advanced industry software so there is no risk of disappointment with a system that is not delivering the results that were promised.

Performance

Overall performance of existing systems


The above graph shows the total generation from the combined systems installed in Blyth, Littlehampton, Middlewich, Bridgwater, Bedford, Hoddesdon, Sittingbourne, Cardiff and Sheppey. The yield is considerably higher in the summer but this is also in part thanks to an increased number of installations.

We would expect these figures to increase further as completed projects are set up for monitoring and new projects are underway.

2014 projects in design: Pitsea, Norwich, Verwood, Worksop, Milton Keynes, Exeter, Abergavenny, Dalkeith, Croydon, Weybridge, Plympton and Wyndmondham.

Of the completed projects several are now fully set up for real-time monitoring. It may take several weeks for data to first upload to the system so there is data from around 5 projects currently in the process of being added, as well as another handful that have only recently been commissioned.

Cumulative yield and revenue

Cumulative yield to date from sites currently set up for monitoring - 871,233 kWh

Cumulative CO2e savings to date from sites currently set up for monitoring - 471 tonnes

Target cumulative revenue to the end of November (Blyth, Littlehampton, Middlewich, Bridgwater, Bedford,) - £121,363.64

Actual cumulative revenue to the end of November (Blyth, Littlehampton, Middlewich, Bridgwater, Bedford) - £138,906.11

To date, these sites have generated an income that is £17,542.47 (around 14%) higher than the forecast

Project details

Project challenges - 50kWp Blyth

In coastal locations there are strong winds and salt mist to contend with. The structural design of the installation involves careful calculations of wind uplift as well as the capability of the existing structural frame.

Our solar panels are optimised to the UK climate and salt mist resistant, making them ideal for use in UK coastal regions. The system in Blyth is carefully fitted to the roof using a non-penetrative ballasted system designed specifically for flat roofs. The panels are pitched at an optimum angle to increase yield and system efficiency, with space between modules to minimise shading. A similar system design will be applied to the other flat roof / coastal Morrison’s stores currently awaiting completion.

Designing a building mounted PV system requires careful structural analysis and estimations of the system weight distribution. We must also examine the building height, size, parapets and adjacent plant.

The below diagram is taken from a weight layout for a large-scale roof mounted PV system. As you can see the weight is not evenly distributed across the roof. High wind pressure areas carry greater weights of ballast to counteract wind. The wind zones acting on the building will vary from country, region to region and between sites due to orientation. All these analyses and designs are conducted in-house by the GMI Energy team.

Weight distribution of a ballasted system

The weights shown include gaps between rows



The 1MW solar PV installation at Morrison’s regional distribution centre in Bridgwater is roughly 20 times the size of the typical 50kWp systems on Morrison’s new stores. Due to the scale of the project planning permission was required for both Bridgwater and Sittingbourne sites. This was successfully completed by the GMI Energy team.

The Bridgwater system is installed on a chilled distribution centre with the load profile of the chiller perfectly matching the generation output from the system. The panel layout was designed to fit according to the optimum available roof area with an east/west split that takes into account shading constraints from pipes, parapets and extract flues.

The Bridgwater design required some very complicated engineering of the structure to calculate the maximum capability of the existing structural frame taking into account the suspended loads of the internal fridge box. All this work was carried out in-house using our highly experienced construction professionals.

Project details

Project challenges - 1MW Bridgwater & 2MW Sittingbourne

Project details



The installation at the distribution centre in Sittingbourne is an impressive 2MW system comprising of over 8000 solar panels across two units. Similar to Bridgwater there were complex challenges to overcome in terms of the structural restrictions and placement of panels around existing roof lights. The GMI Energy team was required to work carefully and considerately at this live major distribution centre and to work efficiently during a power shutdown of the site in order to complete electrical connections.

Prior to installation GMI Energy sought planning approval and connection approval from the District Network Operator (DNO). All grid connected PV systems require DNO approval, which must obtained prior to installation for all systems over 3.68kWp. GMI Energy takes care of this application for all projects, which can vary in complexity and timescales between different network operators.

At Bridgwater and Sittingbourne the DNO approval was subject to some unusual requirements due to the size of the system. The most important requirements related to grid stability, as the DNO specified that the system must be fitted with advanced monitoring equipment to record the tolerance of voltage and frequency, in addition to a G59 relay that enables the system to be disconnected if necessary.

The distribution centres are busy live sites that are in use 24 hours a day and are a crucial part of Morrison’s daily operations. For this reason it was necessary for GMI Energy to liaise regularly with Morrison’s RDC Site Managers in order to make arrangements for cranage and other essential activities during the installation. GMI Energy appointed a Site Manager to remain at each distribution centre throughout the duration of the project in order to make sure everything was progressing smoothly.

Power One Inverters at Bridgwater and Sittingbourne regional distribution centres

Project details



We pride ourselves on an outstanding Health and Safety record and all installations operate to stringent Health and Safety standards. This is particularly important when working on a site such as the Bridgwater and Sittingbourne distribution centre. The projects were implemented according to a detailed Construction Phase Plan (CPP) that is fully compliant with CDM regulations and BSOHSAS 18001. The CPP includes detailed method statements and risk assessments to ensure works are completed correctly and with minimal risk. It also highlights any areas where further measures may be required in order to reduce risk. For example, part of the roofs have fragile roof lights that required roof light covers.

GMI appoint an in-house Quality Safety and Environment Manager who visited the sites to carry out inspections and ensure all procedures in our QES policy were being adhered to. After the project was completed a further site inspection was conducted by the Construction Director and a complete Operations and Maintenance manual was issued as part of the handover process.

In the final stages of the project completion it was necessary to shut down all power at the sites whilst the system was connected. Given the scale of the operations at Morrison’s RDCs and the value of goods within the chilled warehouses it was vital that this stage was conducted with the greatest care and efficiency. The shutdown presented further challenges in that it is only possible to completely shut down the sites on two days in the year. For this reason it was of paramount importance that the installation was completed in time.

Planning the shutdown included a trial shutdown during normal working hours prior to the full shutdown, which took place on a bank holiday weekend. The trial enabled us to make sure everyone involved understood their role in the process and to make sure the IT systems were shut down and brought back online in the correct order with no technical errors. This was crucial to minimise any risk to the business and its operations. During the trial shutdown various issues were identified, such as a fault with the standby generator one of the chilled warehouses. All issues could then be rectified before the full shutdown, which was completed successfully.

Sittingbourne specifications:8256 x 235W polycrystalline Canadian solar panels56 x Power One inverters

Bridgwater specifications:4128 x 235W polycrystalline Canadian solar panels29 x Power One inverters

GMI Energy is a trading name for GMI Renewable Energy Group Ltd GMI Energy Divisions include:

GMI Energy - Solar GMI Energy - Biomass GMI Energy - Lighting GMI Energy - Smart Metering

Practical & sustainable energy solutions

GMI EnergyPark HouseWestland RoadLeeds LS11 5UH

Email: [email protected] Tel: +44(0)113 819 9777Fax: +44(0)113 276 0180

www.gmienergy.co.uk

morrison's multi site rollout 2013

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