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St Ives Park & Ride Smart Energy Grid

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Cambridgeshire County Council, in partnership with EQUANS, has launched a pioneering renewable energy initiative at the St Ives Park & Ride site. The Smart Energy Grid features a 1MW solar photovoltaic (PV) system mounted on carports, powering electric vehicle charges and supporting the site’s infrastructure.

This initiative boosts local clean energy generation, enables convenient EV charging for commuters, and creates a new revenue stream for the County Council.

Funding

The £5.6million micro-grid was part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) via the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (formerly known as Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government).

Smart energy grid logos

The smart energy grid consists of:

  • 1MW solar photovoltaic system – equivalent of 250 average domestic solar installations
  • 237kW of battery storage
  • Up to 9 x 22kW electric vehicle chargers, including one accessible PAS-complaint charger
  • 27GWh of clean energy is forecast to be generated over 30 years
  • 5.5GWh supplied to electric vehicles over 30 years – equivalent to 18-22 million miles
  • 15,025 tonnes of carbon emissions saved over 30 years
  • Supports Cambridgeshire’s Net Zero by 2045 goal
SIPR 1
Design image of cars under solar panel car ports

EV charging at St Ives Park & Ride

Nine EV charging points are located near the bus stops for easy access.

  • Eight standard charging points housed on four columns
  • One accessible PAS compliant charger with a designated disabled bay
  • Powered by solar energy from the site’s smart grid
  • Among the greenest EV charging options in the UK

How to charge

  • Use GeniePoint app or contactless payment
  • Costs: 50 pence per kWh plus a fixed connection charge of £1.25 per use
  • Revenue from the EV chargers and the renewable energy produced by the smart energy grid supports the provision of front-line council services including social care
  • For more information about how to charge your EV visit GeniePoint Drivers | EQUANS UK & Ireland or frequently asked questions. Contact GeniePoint helpdesk phone: 020 3598 4087 or email: geniesupport@equans.com.

Environmental impact

Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Environment & Green Investment Committee, Councillor Ros Hathorn said:

“We’re committed to becoming a net zero county by 2045, so it’s great to see innovative projects like the St Ives Smart Energy Grid deliver some of the renewable energy we need right here on our own park and ride site.

“The solar-powered grid has already saved over 110 tonnes of CO2e since it started producing renewable energy whilst powering the site and exporting electricity to the national grid - raising revenue that is being used to fund vital council services.”

“Now drivers can choose to charge their electric vehicles from the renewable energy generated on site quickly and easily - with the tap of a card - whenever they Park & Ride.”

Future expansion and safety

  • CCTV has been put in place across the St Ives Park & Ride site, which can view all areas under the canopies. This has been installed to discourage anti-social behaviour.
  • Introduction of the county council’s electric vehicle charging provision is being coordinated across the council owned sites, so when EV charging comes online at Babraham Road Park & Ride site later this year drivers will be able to use the same app and type of chargers in both locations.
  • Babraham Road Park & Ride site will include 35 renewable energy powered EV charging points including 3 accessible chargers and disabled parking bays.

Low Carbon Business Support Programme

Alongside the project, Cambridgeshire County Council in partnership with Deyton Bell and Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT) ran a Low Carbon Business Support Programme from April 2022 to September 2023. The programme offered support to small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) looking to take their first steps to reduce their carbon emissions. It also offered support to those who have already started their low carbon journey through 1:1 support workshops, seminars and show case events. The programme concluded in September 2023. It successfully provided support to 35  local businesses.

As part of the Low Carbon Business Support Programme, a live show case event was held on 23 May 2023 at The Burgess Hall, St Ives, Cambridgeshire. The event was attended by several SMEs who participated in the programme, companies specialising in supporting the low carbon journey and our delivery partner, EQUANS. The event gave attendees the opportunity to network. Presentations were given by EQUANS, Cambridgeshire County Council and PECT. The event concluded with a visit to the St Ives Park & Ride to view the progress made to date.

Testimonials

“One of the best training courses we have been on and this will help the 360 Group reduce Carbon emissions path going forward.” 360 Coms Ltd.

“I found the six sessions really informative and well-structured. There was a lot of detail in there but it always felt engaging and manageable. The small group size meant any questions could be answered quickly where relevant to the group or followed-up afterwards if not.” Hunts Forum

“The programme has helped us take our sustainability to the next level for our stakeholders, customers and for our workforce. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn and meet new people.” Walters

Landing page of Low Carbon business support website

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Frequently asked questions 

In 2017, members approved a Corporate Energy Strategy. It promotes using council assets to expand local clean energy generation and develop alternative streams of revenue. The strategy follows nearly 100 successful projects in energy efficiency and renewable energy in schools and corporate buildings including the construction of Triangle Solar Farm which has been operational since 2017. Currently the delivery of North Angle Solar Farm and Babraham Road Park & Ride Smart Energy Grid is underway.

The project has been under development since 2016, with planning permission granted in July 2017.

The energy generated by the solar carports will supply all the electrical infrastructure on site. This includes street lighting, electric vehicle chargers, CCTV and other electrical equipment. Excess energy generated by the solar carports is sent to the battery storage system and then sent to the private customer or exported to the grid.

Carport supply electrical infrastructure diagram

A solar carport is a covered parking area with a canopy made from solar PV panels. They are designed to ensure the park and ride site retains full car parking capacity, whilst benefitting from renewable energy generation. The carports also provide shade and protection for the cars parked underneath them.

The battery storage installed on site will save excess energy generated by the solar carports. This stored energy can be used when the carports are not making enough electricity to meet the demand of the site's electrical equipment.

The Smart Energy Grid has a connection to the national grid. This means electricity can be drawn from it at times when the solar panels are not generating enough electricity to meet on site demand (for example at night). This will ensure that the electrical equipment on site such as electric vehicle chargers, CCTV and street lighting is still able to operate.

EQUANS was selected after an OJEU (Official Journal if the European Union) compliant competitive tendering process run by the Council under the RE:FIT 2 Framework. 

For all users of the park and ride site, they will have solar carports to park under. This will provide some shelter from heat during summer months and protection from rain and hail stones. Owners of electric vehicles will also be able to charge their car whilst parked in the allocated electric vehicle charging spaces.

As the solar modules are made from glass, they are reflective, and this has the potential to cause nuisance. ‘Glint’ is a momentary flash of bright light whereas ‘glare’ is a continuous source of bright light. Published guidance shows that the intensity of reflections from solar panels are equal to or less than those from a body of water.

During the planning application process, a formal study of the “glint and glare” from the solar panels was completed. It assessed the amount and duration of the reflection of light on surrounding homes, businesses, drivers on the ground and aircraft pilots overhead.

It accounted for the position of the sun relative to the modules, as well as the angle of the modules, across the entire year. Out of the study, it recommended we use low reflection PV solar modules.

It should be noted that by design, solar modules absorb light in order to generate electricity. As such they seek to minimise their reflective nature.

The use of solar carports ensures that no additional land is required. This in turn also reduced the localised ecological impact of the project. Additional landscaping, the installation of wood piles and planting of trees and hibernaculum has been undertaken to improve biodiversity net gain.