Supporting Sunderland City Council on the Path to Carbon Neutrality

Supporting Sunderland City Council on the path to carbon neutrality 

Sunderland City Council has been working for several years to cut the city’s carbon emissions. In 2020, it signed an ambitious Low Carbon Framework. This framework sets out pathways to carbon neutrality. The goal is to become a net zero city by 2040 and move towards a more sustainable future.

As part of the city’s path to carbon neutrality, the council wanted to implement a renewable energy system at its new Parsons Vehicle Workshop Depot. The goal of the system was to provide enough renewable electricity to power a charging hub for the council’s growing EV fleet. 

Implementing this system would allow the council to gradually phase out combustion engine vehicles. Instead, they would rely solely on EVs for many services provided to the city. This would drastically cut the council’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The challenge: accelerating the council’s net zero agenda

As the council sought to build a new EV charging hub, it needed a reliable way of storing energy from the 410kW solar rooftop installation at Parsons Depot, provided by solar PV engineering contractor, Emtec Energy. 

To design and supply a bespoke battery and optimise solar energy from the resulting system, Emtec chose to partner with Wattstor. 

Goals:

• Install a renewable energy system to power the council’s EV fleet
• Increase energy resilience through reliable storage
• Support the city’s net zero agenda to reach carbon neutrality by 2040

Our approach: a bespoke battery design

Wattstor designed and supplied a bespoke battery energy storage system (BESS). The BESS comprises a 500kW 3-phase inverter and 19 battery racks containing 108kWh HV batteries, totalling 2052kWh of battery storage. 

To match the exterior of the premises and achieve a sleek, contemporary design, the 40ft battery storage container was provided in a black matt finish. 

After the battery was installed, Wattstor implemented its industry-leading energy management system (EMS), Podium, to help the council make the most of its new renewable energy system.  

Thanks to its AI-based predictive capabilities, Podium automatically optimises electricity generation, storage, usage and exports based on a wealth of data. This includes data on the council’s energy needs, its typical generation, storage and usage patterns, the current and future fluctuations of the wholesale electricity market, and more. 

In this way, Podium can predict the best way to use, store and export the electricity generated onsite. It is shifting load as needed, reducing costs, and maximising revenues from exporting excess solar energy. 

Process

• Bespoke battery design and supply
• Implementation of Podium EMS
• Consultancy and support

Results:

The combination of solar PV, battery storage and Podium EMS has created a comprehensive and fully optimised renewable energy system. It is predicted to generate 365,905kWh annually.

The system is expected to offset 171,928Kg of carbon emissions – the equivalent of 76.6 million fully charged smartphones. The project will reduce as much carbon as planting 109,424 trees, grown for ten years. 

Crucially, the long-term benefits of the project will be even greater. The energy system will provide enough renewable electricity to charge the council’s future EV fleet. It is removing a very significant amount of carbon emissions from Sunderland’s streets. In conclusion, this project is making a significant contribution to the city’s path to carbon neutrality.

“A correctly sized battery storage system and a powerful EMS, like Podium, are really key to maximising the return on investment in solar projects,” added Wattstor’s CEO, Stephan Marty. “We are proud of the part Wattstor is playing in helping decarbonise the city of Sunderland. I hope that more municipalities will follow their example in the future.”

Are you ready to accelerate your transition to net zero? Find out how Wattstor can help. Download our comprehensive guide to onsite renewable generation in 5 steps.