Technology: solar photovoltaic (PV) panels
Location: Dunblane, near Stirling
CARES funding: £2,076 capital grant
Date installed/operational: October 2022
Background
Dunblane Bowling Club was founded in 1822 and has been popular with the town’s community ever since. The clubhouse is used by the wider community and regular activities include highland dancing and bingo, and it can be hired out for private events.
The clubhouse’s roof gets sunshine from the morning until early evening, which makes it ideal for siting solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. The club’s management committee was keen to install solar panels so it could generate its own electricity and reduce its energy bills and carbon emissions. With 2022 coinciding with the club’s double centenary, the committee felt it was an ideal time to invest in the club’s facilities and contribute to improving the local environment.
Project aims and objectives
Galen Milne, green energy advisor to Dunblane Bowling Club, says:
“In the spring of 2021 we began to explore sources of outside funding other than the National Lottery and the local council. These investigations brought Local Energy Scotland to our attention. After making initial contact, we were assigned an advisor who offered very constructive advice on how to proceed with our project.”
An advisor from Zero Waste Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Business Support Service (now Business Energy Scotland) carried out a detailed energy efficiency audit of the clubhouse building. The committee were given a detailed report that recommended the installation of a solar PV array on the clubhouse roof. The report included an estimate of how much electricity the solar panels could generate, the energy savings they could make, and the potential cost of installation.
The committee applied for funding from the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) to install a 6Kw solar PV array on the roof of the clubhouse.
Galen says “the CARES advisor guided us through the paperwork and explained the key things required for a successful funding application. After submitting our application in October 2021, our application was approved.”
Outcomes and achievements
Having contacted the necessary number of solar panel installation companies for quotes, in 2022 the committee began the process of assigning the work to selected providers.
During the pre-installation period, surveys discovered moisture condensation in the roof space below the metal roof panels. Galen says that “the problem only became apparent during the winter months of 2021 to 2022. We were told that if the moisture and damp was not remedied, the damp would eventually rot the supporting roof timbers.”
After seeking further advice from the solar PV installer, the committee decided to remove the insulation from the underside of the metal roof panels and reinstall these in the ceiling void area to create a cool zone within the attic space and stop heat loss from below. They also ensured the vented areas were clear of insulation to allow maximum airflow. The installer also recommended that they seal the insulation under loft flooring panels.
Galen says “unfortunately, this was necessary work but was not supported by CARES, even although we had received what we understood to be provisional approval in August 2022.”
The new solar panels were successfully installed in October 2022. Work was delayed by the unexpected work on the roof and problems acquiring a three-phase inverter, caused by a worldwide supply issue.
Galen reports that “the solar panels are already generating energy, with some now being fed back into the grid. As the installation was only completed in October, the club has now entered its close season and at present we do not have sufficient data recorded to determine actual savings made.
Galen adds: “as the club enters its third centenary year, we can look forward to making a meaningful contribution to the environment, thanks to Local Energy Scotland and its associates who helped us achieve our stated aim.”
Lessons learned
Galen identified several lessons learned throughout the project.
He said: “This project was a new experience for those within the bowling club, so the process was very challenging from the outset. However, once we had engaged with Local Energy Scotland, our assigned advisor was most helpful in pointing us in the right directions, both in terms of the information we needed to get estimates relating to energy usage, and for the systems that best suited our seasonal requirements.
“Unfortunately, because the clubhouse roof has metal panels, certain problems relating to condensation and so on did not appear during the summer months of 2021 and only became apparent as the initial work began in the spring of 2022. Although we managed to save money on the original PV panel installation costs, the problems identified with condensation only became apparent after we submitted our application. We do believe this extra work will also help save the club on total energy consumption, but unfortunately this part of the upgrade work wasn’t supported.
“In hindsight, we should have better considered the seasonal impacts of the outside temperatures on the clubhouse metal roof and included this information in our original application.”
Published April 2023.