Solar technology at Five Rivers making a big difference

Wiltshire Council and solar, storage and smart EV charging specialist 3ti Energy Hubs, have officially launched their large-scale solar car park constructed from sustainable Glulam timber beams and Glass-Glass solar panels.

The solar car park at Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury was completed earlier this year and it’s supporting Wiltshire Council’s commitment to be a carbon neutral organisation by 2030. 3ti, working closely with the leisure centre and council also delivered the multi-award winning Papilio3 to provide the solar EV charging hub to the community.

The solar car park structure is made from Glulam, renewable, recyclable wood laminations bonded together to offer a natural alternative to steel or concrete. The engineered timber affords significant advantages over structural steel; it is three times stronger and a third lighter, using only a tenth of the energy it would take to produce an equivalent steel beam, contributing to a more sustainable building process. The material has minimal environmental impact from its production, is highly repairable, and is an excellent biofuel at the end of its life, further minimising waste.

Since the technology was installed, solar arrays have generated an excess of 20MWh per month.

The solar installation at Five Rivers comprises three gullwing solar canopies covering 70 car park spaces, with a combined total capacity of c.220 kWp. Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre use 100% of the solar generation, which contributes approximately 10% of the overall electricity demand at the site.

In addition, to support the UK’s EV charging infrastructure, Five Rivers became the first leisure centre to install 3ti’s solar EV charging hub, Papilio3. Built around an upcycled shipping container, Papilio3 provides visitors and staff with reliable, fast, and safe EV charging. 

Those involved in the project attended an event at Five Rivers on 19 September.

Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, said: “We are proud that one of our flagship leisure centres in Wiltshire’s only city is home to this innovative technology which is having such a positive impact. 
“We are a high-profile organisation, and if the actions we are taking can inspire others in the county and beyond to do the same then that can only be a good thing.”

Cllr Tamara Reay, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Assets, said: “We are a forward-thinking innovative council, and we’re delighted to have worked with 3ti to collaborate on this exciting project, which supports our carbon commitments while saving money on our electricity bills. 

“We have been working incredibly hard to make our buildings, and how we work, as energy efficient as possible and in 2023/24 council emissions are down to 2,767 tCO2e, surpassing our target. We’ll continue to do what we can to lead the way on this work locally and, as we’ve demonstrated through this project, bold action really can make a difference.” 

Ben Marchant, CEO at 3ti commented: “We are incredibly proud to support Wiltshire Council in such forward-thinking sustainable initiatives. Being involved from the outset, it is fantastic to see the cost savings and efficiency achieved through the solar installations, and to witness the significant rise in EV charge point usage by visitors over recent months is truly inspiring. This trend is not only promising for Wiltshire but reflects the broader success we are observing across all our Papilio3 EV charging installations."