Scotland’s First Solar Farm
Installing Scotland’s first Solar Farm with Mackie Scotland
Mackie’s Scotland
Absolute delivered the project on time and within budget. The system has been generating for just under two years. It is essential to show the capabilities of designing solar projects for DCWW’s needs. But it is also important to demonstrate that the designs you have undertaken and the estimated production figures are hitting or exceeding the targets. Our 3D PVSol for the design had the estimated generation at Mackies at 1,462,500 kWh per year. As you can see from the charts below, the system we designed and installed has exceeded this.
Solar Farm In Action
The project was delivered on time and on budget. The system has been generating for just under two years now. It is important to show the capabilities of designing solar projects for DCWW’s needs. But it is also important to demonstrate that the designs you have undertaken, and the estimated production figures are hitting the targets or exceeding. Our 3D PVSol for design had the estimated generation at Mackies at 1,462,500 kWh per year. As you can see from the below charts, the system which we designed and installed has exceeded this.
Results
2016 Actual generation= 1,485,490 kWh
2017 Actual generation to date=1,545,860kWh
Edward’s Airforce Base- Annual Savings $197,456
Providing a safe and well lit work enviroment is a high priority at EAFB. The parking lots and the Aircraft Hanger Buildings were determined to in need of a lighting upgrade. Airforce procurment was tasked with finding a supplier that could meet the needs as specified in the RFQ. WM responded to the oportunity and attended the briefing to be able to submit a response outlining our solution for their lighting upgrade. After several rounds of questions and submittles, WM was selected for the job.
Phase one of the project involved upgrading the parking lot lights and two of the Aircraft Hanger Buildings with the following products.
| Quantity | Existing Lights | Upgraded Products |
|---|---|---|
| 61 | 400W Metal Halide | 105W – LED Retrofit Kit |
| 256 | 1000W Metal Halide |
378W – LED High Bay |
Scottish Water: Brechin
Installation Date: June 2016
Location: Brechin
System: 250kW
This installation – one of many Absolute is involved in for Scottish Water – took place at Scottish Water’s site in Brechin and was completed within five weeks as was due to an impending drop in the Feed In Tariff. We are very proud to have been chosen by Scottish Water to undertake the many projects currently underway at their plants throughout the country.
Tennessee Valley Authority – Annual Savings $703,850
Tennessee Valley Authority Brown’s Ferry Nuclear Power Station
TVA’s first nuclear plant, Browns Ferry is located on 840 acres beside Wheeler Reservoir on the Tennessee River, near Athens, Alabama. The plant is named after a ferry that operated at the site until the middle of the 20th century. Browns Ferry’s three boiling water reactors were the first in the world capable of powering generators that could produce more than 1,000 megawatts – 1 billion watts – of electricity each, making it the largest nuclear power plant in the world at that time.
Scheduled maintenance for the reactor building can only take place once every two years. By the time the two years are up, virtually every light in the restricted area has burned out making maintenance during the up-time difficult and sometime dangerous. Light quality was also poor because the lights were Mercury Vapor. Steven Brown, Facility Director was in need of a solution for his plant. Steven reached out to Watts Matter to see if we could solve his problem. After taking in all of the pertinent information, WM determined that its High Bays could solve their lighting problems.
We sent Steven a sample set of a LED High Bay to install in his facility so he could “SEE” the difference between what he had and what we were specifying. Within 30 minutes of the installation, Steven called us to rave about the quality and the amount of light our High Bay was providing. But the best part of this project is he is enjoying considerably better light quality using 65% less electricity. The plant is now completely upgraded with LED High Bays and it’s transformed itself from a plant that was dimly lit with a greenish hue to one with bright natural light that will last without any maintenance for 20+ years. And they now have 5,752,385 more KWhr every year to sell
UPGRADE PROJECT
The lighting upgrade project consisted of replacing the following
- 309 – 1000W Mercury Vapor High Bays with 309 – 485W LED High Bays
- 1190 – 400W Mercury Vapor High Bays with 1190 – 242W LED High Bays
- 1020 – 250W Mercury Vapor High Bays with 1020 – 100W LED High Bays
Scottish Water
Absolute is one of four companies on the Scottish Water Solar PV framework. Within this framework, we assess Scottish Water sites for the suitability of solar installations as part of their drive to reduce carbon emissions and cut energy costs. We model and design systems to obtain the best solution for Scottish Water. Our solution includes the most efficient cost and the best possible use of available space.
We then take the site through various stages with the client—from obtaining planning and grid connection to completing installation.
John Sammon, Business Development Team Leader, said:
“The team at Absolute consistently understand our needs as the customer. Their technical approach inspires confidence and often offers elements of innovation that add value to a project. Early in the feasibility stage the half-hourly data is analysed in detail and compared against the available space at the asset.
This gives us a very quick steer as to the suitability of the asset without significant time or capital expenditure, whilst ensuring optimal system design in terms of maximising our self- consumption of the generation and minimising export.
This approach has strengthened the viability of our PV programme from both a commercial and reputational perspective.”
Annual Savings $267,029
NUCOR Rebar Plant, Jewett TX
Nucor Steel is a world-class producer of hot-rolled carbon steel products. They offer an extensive product/size range of carbon steel angles, channels, flat bars, rounds, squares, and U.M. plates, in addition to concrete reinforcing steel and unique shapes. Nucor is the largest metal recycler in the Western Hemisphere. In this facility, they had 500 – 1000W Metal Halide High Bays. Due to high lumens loss and premature failure, Nucor has had to re-lamp every six months at a cost, including materials and labor, of approximately $38,000.
When they contacted us, they wanted to know if we had a LED High Bay that could match the output of a 1000W Metal Halide and stand up to the ambient temperature of 150°F that they experience during the summer months. When we sent them the cut sheet for the recommended LED product rated for 200,000 hours (L70) and an onboard thermo-couple that detects the temperature of the LED modules and includes software to dim the lights in extreme temperature environments, they immediately ordered one as a sample. Two weeks after the sample was installed, they ordered 499 more to upgrade the entire plant.
UPGRADE PROJECT
Pre-existing lighting:
7,313 – 3 tube, 32W fluorescent Fixtures in 325,000 square feet of office space. The facilities manager spent way too much time putting filters over tubes to reduce the light for some and adding extra fixtures to increase the light for others. The customer had three issues that needed attention:
- High Utility Bills
- High Maintenance cost
- Poor quality of light and no ability to control the brightness
Our Solution:
7,313 – 32W LED Troffers with dimmable 0-10V wireless system
Annual Energy & Maintenance cost savings:
$388,275 energy & maintenance savings/year
Summary
After installing the new LED troffers, the light quality drastically improved. Each fixture came equipped with a wireless dimmer to control the brightness to suit the comfort of each employee. We achieved a significant amount of annual energy and maintenance savings.
WIDNES SOLAR FARM
Installation Date: September 2020
Location: Halton Borough Council
System: 1.2MW
Depuy Synthesis – Raynham Massachusetts
FLUORESCENT LIGHTING UPGRADE
3 Tube 32W Fluorescent Fixtures upgraded with a 32W LED Troffer
Pre-existing lighting:
7,313 – 3 tube, 32W fluorescent Fixtures in 325,000 square feet office space. The facilities manager was spending way too much time putting filters over tubes to reduce the light for some and adding extra fixtures to increase the light for others. Customer had three issues that needed attention:
1.High Utility Bills
2.High Maintenance cost
3.Poor quality of light and no ability to control brightness
Our Solution:
7,313 – 32W LED Troffers with dimmable 0-10V wireless system
AnnualEnergy & Maintenance cost savings:
$388,275 energy & maintenance savings/year
Summary
After installing the new LED troffers, the light quality drastically improved. Each fixture came equipped with a wireless dimmer able to control the brightness to suit the comfort of each employee. A significant amount of annual energy and maintenance savings was achieved.
AG Barr
AG Barr is an example of where our wind energy solution improved business performance.
AG Barr Plc produces Scotland’s favourite drinks from their production facility in Cumbernauld, including Irn Bru, Strathmore Water, and Rockstar. Wishing to upgrade the site and expand, AG
Barr had a choice. Either face a hefty upgrade fee from Scottish Power of £1,000,000+ or think outside the box and find other ways of delivering power.
The natural fit for them was to look at wind energy technology in the form of wind turbines. Wind energy would deliver the needed power to the benefit of the local residents.
Using Wind Energy
Absolute delivered a private wire power purchase agreement for AG Bar Plc on behalf of a private funder. The funder and AG Barr were happy.
We mounted the EWT DW54-500 500kW turbine on a 40m tower at the Cumbernauld bottling facility. The plant was aligned with a pre-planned shutdown or at a time when production was least affected. This plan reduced downtime and saved AG Barr money. We had to liaise with many parties, to get timing arrangements in place. We coordinated road closures, grid connections, EWT, and crane operators, to facilitate the turbine installation.
The installed turbine benefits AG Barr by reducing the cost of energy. The cost savings helped preserve jobs and spread benefits to the broader community. Furthermore, this established a community benefit scheme.
Annual Savings $46,689
SITUATION
UNITED AIRLINES – AIRPORT HANGAR LIGHTING PROJECT
United is a founding member of the Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world, and offers connections to over 1,000 destinations in over 170 countries on six continents. United operates 706 aircraft out of ten international hubs, the largest of which is George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. United Airlines decided to upgrade their 400W Metal Halide lighting across all hangars in the United States. Still, they didn’t know about the current state-of-the-art LED lighting. United contacted Watts Matter for advice and technical data to help them have an informed discussion about their lighting upgrade. The next step was gathering critical information to develop a recommendation and proposal.
The first hangar analyzed was 40,000 sq. ft. with 100 – 400W Metal Halide lights distributed evenly throughout the hanger. United’s objective was to improve the amount of light and reduce its lighting maintenance cost.
The process started with purchasing four 242W LED High Bay samples with 80-degree optics and a pendant mount. This light produces 21,000 lumens, and the optics allow the light to be directed to the floor.
The lights were shipped to the San Francisco Airport Operations Center and installed. Within one week of testing, including employee feedback, the light was selected as the standard upgrade for all their 400W Metal Halides.
UPGRADE PROJECT
The project consists of the following replacements
- 100 – 400W Metal Halide with 100 – 242W LED High Bays
