Sundog Energy and Kier Construction have officially turned on the 204 kWp rooftop BIPV system at King’s Cross railway station in London, UK. Dubbed as one of the largest and most complex building-integrated PV systems in the UK, it is projected to have an output of around 175,000 kWh per annum.
As reported by PV-Tech’s sister site Design Build Solar, the high profile project utilizes 1,392 bespoke glass laminate units designed and supplied by UK-based glass specialist Romag. Sundog Energy was responsible for designing and installing the project whilst Kier Construction was the main contractor.
The installation of the solar glazing system was carried out without closing access to the station. During the installation, temporary scaffolding was erected which also provided shelter from adverse weather when the original roof structure was taken down.
At a press conference this morning, Sundog founder and chairman Martin Cotterell said that “I haven’t been involved in a more challenging project in terms of complexity. I don’t know of any project that comes close to this”.
He added: “King’s Cross has been a fantastic project to work on – but also a labour of love. The sheer scale of the installation has presented many major technical and aesthetic design challenges from day one and there has been no margin for error as the work had to be undertaken whist the station remained fully operational. We are very proud of our involvement as we believe the project combines the very best in modern design, technical excellence and sustainability with the grace of one of the UK’s most iconic grade 1 listed buildings.”
Driving the £1.3 million solar project — which began approximately five years ago before the UK feed-in tariff was introduced — was the Network Rail’s ambitions to become greener. The solar project is part of a larger £550 million King’s Cross redevelopment programme which involves strengthening, repairing and refurbishing the 1880s Grade I listed building.
