Project name: East Coast Organics
Technology: 54 kW Tesla Powerwall 2 batteries
Location: Boggs Holdings, near Pencaitland, East Lothian
CARES funding: CARES Innovation grant £18,100 (50% match funded)
Date installed/ operational: 25 March 2019
Project Aims and Objectives
East Coast Organics runs an organic farm and vegetable delivery service near Pencaitland, East Lothian. The business has a 28kW solar PV array that generates much of the electricity they require including charging their three electric delivery vehicles.
East Coast Organics applied for a CARES Innovation grant to install a storage battery to make better use of the renewable energy generated on site. The use of a battery system would increase the amount of electricity being used by making it available after dark to power the lights and refrigeration equipment in their new shed. It will also provide power to charge up the electric vehicles on the four EV charge points.
Outcomes and achievements
From March 2019 to March 2020 the solar panels generated 20,702 kWh of electricity. 6,664 kWh of this was stored in the batteries and used in the shed instead of being sent back to the national grid.
The company estimates that they have since saved around £1,000 in energy bills; they note that savings could have been higher were it not for charging additional vehicles and running extra refrigeration equipment. The business plans to install more solar panels to cope with their extra energy demands.
Lessons learned
A spokesperson from East Coast Organics said: “The batteries use a Tesla app so you can monitor the charge status. It is important to manage appliances as the batteries approach 100% capacity, or the surplus will be fed back to the grid.”