Shell Store, Hereford Enterprise Zone

When Hereford Enterprise Zone Ltd in conjunction with Herefordshire Council decided to rebuild the former Munitions Building in Rotherwas, Hereford, as a nod to its unique history, the emphasis was on build sustainability. The resulting building is the Shell Store, an incubator and business networking  centre in Skylon Park, Hereford Enterprise Zone that helps start-ups and growing businesses with office space and support services.

Rotherwas was home to one of the largest explosive filling sites in the UK during the First World War and again was active in the Second World War. The aptly named Shell Store is one of the last surviving buildings of the 370 buildings that existed over the 300-acre site.

Melcon was the electrical contractor in the rebuild and Solarkinetics secured the solar PV installation work after a robust procurement process. The sawtooth roof of the Shell Store brings natural light into the building on the north facing predominantly glass elevations while solar panels were installed on the south facing elevations of the metal clad roof.

246 x 320Wp REC Twin Peak 2 solar modules were fitted to the Euroclad roof using Sunfixing mountings. Power Optimisation boosts power output by enabling a pair of modules to work independently to produce maximum power, despite shading on one panel pair that would otherwise reduce the output of all panels in the same string. The inverter chosen was a SolarEdge 82.8kW three-phase Synergy inverter, installed in the plant room.

The building provides a flexible workspace offering co-working, office space and meeting rooms for freelancers, start-ups and small businesses. Around 30 of the rental offices are occupied and in the centre of the building is the Munitions Café, a great place for networking. 

Since the solar PV system was switched on in 2021, it has generated 124MWh of electricity with 98% of power produced being consumed onsite. Depending on the time of year, overall solar power generation contributes 25-30% of the power requirement in the building.

“Herefordshire Council saw this project as a chance to show leadership in sustainability and the installation of the solar PV system was an important part of the jigsaw to achieving this,” said David Wright, Head of Economy and Regeneration at Herefordshire Council. “Solar generated power is making a valuable contribution to reduce our electricity costs in the building.”