Solar installations in the Dorking area
Just about how much solar is installed in the Dorking area?
In the UK, the most recent figures by the department of Climate Change indicate ~8 ½ GW of installed capacity at the end of November 2015 (1 GW = 1,000 MW = 1 million KW).
To put this into context, a full 16 panel system installed on a home represents about:
- 4 KW of capacity
- Which will generate about 3,500 KWh of electricity in a year. The average UK home consumes about 3,100 KWh of electricity and 12,500 KWh of gas per year
- So the 8 ½ GW of installed capacity throughout the UK (assuming generation of ~7.44m GWh in year) covers the annual electricity needs of roughly 2.4 million households (7.44 million KWh/3,100 KWh).
Please note that there is a difference between capacity (in W) and the Watt hours (Wh) that this capacity generates in a year. We are assuming that each KW of installed capacity will generate 875KWh of electricity per year.
On a more local level, we have attempted to estimate the minimum capacity installed in and around Dorking. Major installations in the area include:
- Ashcombe school (estimated capacity = 150 KW)
- Thames Water / Pixham Sewage Treatment Works (52 KW)
- Dorking Leisure Centre (45KW)
- Bushbury Farm in Brockham (30 KW)
- Ford Farm/ Lodge Farm (38 KW)
These installations can generate the annual electricity needs of about 90 homes.
In addition, there are numerous small scale installations on homes and businesses scattered throughout the area, which should bring the total local capacity above the 400KW range. In addition, the Meadowbank facility should add about 12 KW.
Assuming 407 KW of installed capacity in the area, this means that we are generating roughly 355,000 KWh of electricity per year. Because the electricity is not sourced from the mainstream grid (predominantly fossil fuel generated), this “green” generation saves about 142 tonnes of CO2 per year. We have an objective to bring the total solar capacity in the area to 1 MW (1,000 KW) which would ultimately reduce CO2 emissions by ~350 tonnes annually.
If you know of any large scale installations in the area that we have not mentioned, we would be delighted to hear of it.
Furthermore, if you are interested in renewable energy and energy efficiency than do get in contact with the group and attend one of our community meetings. The next one will be a special wine tasting event organized by local wine maker Andy Kershaw at the Burgundy & Black, St Martin’s Walk on Friday 01 April. Hope to see you there.
