In a UK first, a Solar PV system has been installed as an alternative to traditional roof overcladding. 

The pioneering solution was delivered to fix a leaking roof on an office and warehouse unit in Southwood Business Park in Farnborough. As part of a lease renewal agreement with their tenant the Landlord was obliged to carry out roof restoration works. Syzygy and Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) saw this as an opportunity to undertake a feasibility to understand the technical and commercial viability of using Solar PV to over-clad the building, as an alternative to the alternative of a traditional re-roofing or over-cladding. The innovative installation was designed to reduce the carbon intensity of the building while meeting repair obligations and by creating an additional income stream to pay back the cost of the works, with the occupier purchasing the energy generated by ASI, the project stacked up to be commercially viable.

Syzygy project managed the installation, having completed the financial and technical feasibilities and securing the grid connection. The ground-breaking product was created by Solfit, resulting in a fully waterproofed and energy generating roof. Using the panels as interlocking tiles a perfect marriage was created between centuries old construction methods and modern green technologies. Transparent panels were incorporated into the system to maintain the natural light from the skylights.

ASI’s objectives were to work with the tenant to reduce carbon emissions from the building and improve the overall sustainability credentials of the property. The building is also expected to perform well when it comes to re-letting, as its low cost/low carbon space will be more attractive to potential occupiers. What was initially just a roof repair has now future-proofed the property, setting it ahead of the market.

This article was originally published on LinkedIn here.