Fergyspace

The Client

Fergyspace, is purpose built self storage facility on the Northumberland Business Park West in Cramlington Northumberland. Established in 2008 it boasts 50,000 square foot of rentable space and is one of the biggest facility of its kind in the North East.

Fergyspace is a family owned business. The Ferguson family also own Ferguson Transport and have been in the business since 1926.

The Design

From the beginning we were asked to think outside the box and come up with a design that not only made an environmental and financial difference but they also wanted it visible from the air as his business is on the flight path of Newcastle Airport which is only stone throw away. Our first draft was for both roof filled with about 200kWp where the FERGY name was an inlay on both roof spaces but the Distribution Network Operator said that we could have 79kW so that was that idea out the window. We were left with what we believe looks even better than the original design with FERGY on the East roof which can be seen clearly on the approach to the airport.

Next, the Airport themselves put an objection into the Planning Authority and asked for a Glint and Glare report. The client had Pager Power do a report and this went back to the airport who after three redrafts finally accepted the report’s findings that the proposed system would have limited effect on the approaching aircraft.

Energy Harvest / Performance

Performance is always a key factor. We used Enphase M215 Microinverters for this project along with SolarWorld 245 Polys. The 245’s were decided for the simple reason they allowed symmetry in the design.

We chose to use Van der Valk short rail for the mounting system allowing us to install efficiently.

The annual generation was estimated to be 58,379kWh but the system delivered 66,989kWh in 2016 generating more income and savings for the client.

Reliability

System downtime had to be minimal, so an Enphase system was selected based on its reliability, availability and 20 year warranty. The electrical design was done using AMTEC and G59 services provided the Protection Relay and Solar Distribution Board.

The Result

  • Clients energy bills reduced

  • 585 kg CO2 to be saved over 20 years

  • Marketing inbuilt into the design

  • Painless Client Journey Start to Finish

  • Income from FIT and Export Tariffs