Short Spelsberg lead time helps EOS Energy deliver on 7 week deadline

This summer Hendra Holiday Park commissioned EOS Energy to install a 1.15MW solar farm on its premises in Cornwall. As the government Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) scheme was soon to be reduced, the project had to be completed within 7 weeks if Hendra was to benefit from the higher rates. Thanks to its innovative BritSol mounting system, and the reliability of suppliers such as Spelsberg UK, EOS was able to complete the project on time, making it the fastest installation of its size in Britain.

EOS Energy, a specialist division of Alumet, is dedicated to photovoltaic installations; providing turnkey solutions for numerous sectors including domestic, commercial and agricultural. EOS is based in Warwickshire where it manufactures innovative mounting systems that allow fast and easy modular installation of PV projects of any size. The company is wholly British owned and operated, and has been praised by many local planning authorities for its results and sound sustainable practices.

When approached by Hendra to install a large solar farm in Cornwall one of the stipulations of the contract was that it must be completed within 7 weeks in order for Hendra to be able to take advantage of the FiT scheme that has recently been reduced. EOS was so confident that its BritSol mounting system would make this possible that a £200,000 penalty clause was written into the contract that the company would lose if the installation was not connected by the target date of 8th July.

Lee Summers, EOS Energy Technical Director, comments: “The Hendra solar farm project represented an exciting challenge for us. Our manufacturing techniques have been developed to provide quick and reliable installation and the project was an opportunity to prove this on a larger scale. As with all manufacturing jobs though, we can only be as good as our suppliers; when you make a commitment to complete a project in such a short timeframe it is essential that every component supplier is able to specify and deliver the correct parts in the correct numbers on as short a lead time as possible.”

EOS approached Spelsberg, Europe’s leading manufacturer of enclosures, to supply 180 junction boxes that would be able to survive the harsh outside environments that the solar farm will be subjected to. The location of the application meant that each box needed to be able to withstand regular exposure to UV light as well as extreme temperature variations and heavy rain. Spelsberg was able to specify and supply its leading TK polycarbonate enclosures within four days.

The TK enclosure range, which includes hundreds of sizes and options, is manufactured using high strength polycarbonate to provide a rugged housing for sensitive electronics. The enclosure provides IP66 and UV protection making it ideal for use in outdoor applications.

Daren Field, Area Sales Manager for Spelsberg, comments: “We hold a large amount of stock at our headquarters in Telford, this means that when a project requires quick delivery we can often turn an order around in a matter of days. The Hendra solar farm project was exciting to be involved with, while Spelsberg has been working within the European PV industry for over 20 years, it is still an emerging market in the UK and we are happy to be able to offer our experience to a British owned and operated company that is taking on such ambitious projects.”

The project was successfully completed within the 7 week deadline, making the Hendra Solar Farm one of the largest PV projects to be installed by a wholly British owned contractor to date. Spelsberg was able to guarantee its products for over 25 years operating life, a commitment to quality that EOS was happy to be able to pass on to the end user.