The Malvern, Malvern
| System Size | 141kWp |
| Generation | 123,818kWh |
| Solar Panels | 349 x 405Wp Canadian Solar |
| Inverter | 1 x Tauro 50kW inverter, 1 x Symo 27kW inverter and 1x Symo 20kW inverter |
| Mounting | Ballasted Van Der Valk frames |
When the electricity contract at The Malvern came up for renewal in March 2022, the sudden shock of a major price increase led the management to look for an alternative supplier.
The Malvern is a Spa hotel with a private membership club of gym and restaurant. Their electricity bill was forecast to increase from £8,000 per month to £25,000 per month even when they shopped around.
“First of all, we looked at how savings could be made in our energy usage. Realising only limited savings were possible, we decided that an expansive flat roof would be ideal for solar,” said Lynsey Kettlewell, Managing Director at The Malvern.
At the time, Worcestershire County Council was offering a grant, the Low Carbon Opportunities Programme, contributing up to 40% towards the installation cost of Solar PV.
“Four companies tendered and each one assessed on price, customer reviews and whether they were local; out of the four, Solarkinetics was selected,” continued Lynsey. “Solarkinetics proved to be a great team to deal with – proactive and took the time to explain the process including how upfront approval with the DNO is required before going ahead.”
The solar installation comprised 349 x 405W Canadian Solar modules on the building’s flat roof, mounted using ballasted Van Der Valk frames, plus three Fronius inverters – 1 x Tauro 50kW inverter, 1 x Symo 27kW inverter and 1x Symo 20kW inverter.
In all the install took just over a week. “There was no disruption to the smooth running of the business which was a real positive.”
The Malvern with high electricity usage consumes all the energy the solar panels produce, even at weekends as it’s open 7 days a week. On a sunny day in early March, solar was contributing 32% to the power requirement. Taking into consideration the grant’s contribution, the system is forecast to pay-back in two and half years.
“Even after installation, Solarkinetics proved supportive, helping to answer questions from our insurers and taking the time to answer any queries we had with the set-up.”