Kingspan Energy Rooftop Solar PV

 
 

Solar power crowns Ireland’s
most exceptional village hall

 
27 March 2015
 

Glenealy village hall was built in 1954 by volunteers from the village, and has been serving the local community ever since. In 2010, the management committee of the hall initiated an ambitious refurbishment programme to give the building a new lease of life, and secure a long-term, sustainable future for this vital village asset.

 

The initial stages of the refurbishment included the replacement of the ageing and inefficient asbestos roof with Kingspan KS 1000 RW insulated roof panels, and the fitting of Kingspan Kooltherm K16 insulated plasterboard and triple glazing units to reduce energy waste and increase comfort levels in the building. Further improvements included the installation of a wood pellet boiler, low energy lighting, and a 16-tube solar thermal system, also supplied by Kingspan.

 

The rooftop solar PV system was installed to complete the transformation of the site. It consists of 28 solar PV modules arranged into two separate arrays across 46m2 of roofspace.

 

“The Hall is the heart of the local community, hosting everything from card games to toddler groups, with youth clubs, exercise classes and the village fete in between,” said Tim Ryan, local resident and the Energy Specialist on the project. “The hall is now equipped to continue performing this vital role for another sixty years. The comprehensive sustainable refurbishment is also benefitting the community in other ways, with local residents now able to see close-up how renewable and low-energy technology works, and how it could benefit them.”

 

“In Ireland we pay some of the highest electricity prices in Europe, so reducing demand and increasing on-site, green generation should be a huge priority for us all,” explained Kevin McCarthy, Business Development Manager, Kingspan Energy. “This project in Glenealy, which has created what must now be Ireland’s most exceptional village hall, shows how an investment in rooftop solar PV can deliver returns for any sized project. We look forward to installing more systems in Ireland as demand for greener and cheaper electricity grows.”

 

The project team consisted of a group of hard-working local volunteers, supported by Energy Specialist Tim Ryan and Architect and Project Manager P. J. Sutton. The PV installation was part-funded by the Ballynagran Environmental Community Projects and Works Scheme 2014, while the initial refurbishment of the hall was part-funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).

 

 

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