SHARP have now Powered the Past!
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The 2025 season saw the installation of our very own solar power array on site following a successful trial with a commercially hired unit in 2023.
The use of solar power has made our operation cleaner, greener, quieter, and will save us thousands of pounds in future years by negating the need to hire expensive generators. It also means that we can have power 24 hours a day and for out of season visits.
Throughout the 2025 season we operated with one of the six storage batteries still to be fitted, however the unit worked exceptionally well. The standby generator was only used on four or five occasions, for short periods, when episodes of poor weather meant that there was insufficient solar power for our needs or when the maintenance team made the conscious decision to briefly run the generator at a convenient time so that the battery power would be available when we needed it. Once the additional battery is installed and the team gain experience in balancing solar power input against SHARP power requirements we would expect the generator to be used even less. Further improvements are intended which will aid this, such as replacing inefficient lights and other electrical equipment with more efficient items such as LED lights.
As well as being greener and cheaper than using a generator for 15 hours a day as in past years, it was noticeably quieter on site, which made for a much more pleasant environment. Overall, the introduction of solar power to SHARP has been very welcome and appreciated by all.
Our solar power has been funded through a generous grant from Farming in Protected Landscapes (FIPL) which contributed 80% of the costs. The remaining amount we have sourced from the money raised by the Powering the Past fundraiser, which also contributed to the construction of the new solar shed frame.
The construction of this facility sees the completion of the ‘Powering the Past’ fundraiser. While the methodology is somewhat different than what we had in mind when we started, the costs of getting attached to the grid were just too high. The aim of that fundraiser was to provide power to the site all year round without the need for hiring a generator. We have now achieved this, and in an even greener and more sustainable way than originally planned. We don’t even have an electricity bill to worry about! We will strive to improve the system over time, so that our generator is only used in emergencies. This year we were able to increase our number of teaching spaces and other site facilities. In the next few years, we will be adding permanent toilet and shower blocks to the site, which this system will power.
We are also pleased to announce that all the fundraiser awards have now been completed, with the conference publication published with the full list of donors and the Powering the Past plaque of donor names has been added to the solar shed (which we felt more appropriate than the information hut).
All that is left to do is to give a big thank you to everyone who contributed to either or both of our fundraisers, ‘Powering the Past’ or ‘Sustainable Heritage at SHARP’. This particularly includes those that have donated anonymously but did not want to be named.
We would like to thank the following individuals and companies that helped build our new solar array.
Kevin – Solar Shed for help and advice
Simon (and team) - SA Energy
Justin – JLG Carpentry & Outbuildings
Also a huge thanks to Chris Garrod for fitting our electric sockets to provide the power for the rest of the site. As well as all those who worked on insulating the cabin before the batteries arrived, and to those that fitted the cabin and moved the furniture to allow it to be used for our environmental science department this year.
Comments