How do solar panels work?
The panels are positioned to maximise the harvesting of the sun’s rays throughout the day. A bank of inverters converts the suns power into electricity that the Estate can use. As solar panels continue to work even on a cloudy day, this system is generating electricity for the Wimpole Estate 365 days a year.
The electricity is fed back via cables to the Utility Building next to the Visitor Welcome Building. The electricity can be used at Wimpole or it can be exported to the national grid for use elsewhere.
Facts and figures
- Number of panels: 1,472
- Tonnes of CO2 saved per year: 152
- kWh of electricity generated per year: 350,000kWh
(113 average UK homes or 50% of the Wimpole Estate's electricity use)
- Electricity savings if all electricity used on site: £40,000
When was the solar pv system switched on?
The solar photovoltaic panels were installed by SAS ENERGY in 2019 and started generating electricity in February 2020.