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Royal Holloway Charge Points
February 13, 2022 In

Going electric at Royal Holloway University

Royal Holloway, University of London, is a pioneering University, steeped in history, yet constantly adapting to the demands of modern higher education.

When it comes to environmental credentials, the University ranked as a top tier University in USwitch’s second annual study into UK universities’ commitment to being green.

As part of their Living Sustainably programme, University researchers also work with partners around the world to investigate the drivers of unsustainable activities. They respond by co-developing innovative solutions for all communities to use resources more sustainably, and to be part of healthy communities. So, when we were appointed to work with the University on its EV infrastructure, we were delighted.

Feasibility and install

After visiting the University and discussing requirements, we conducted a feasibility study to create the best possible EV charging solution for staff, students, fleet vehicles and visitors to site.

The project was funded by the University and after an initial four car parks in the original study, Royal Holloway made the decision to begin with one site. There was an excellent electrical supply to that car park already, which meant we could install four dual socket Alfens, all running at 22kW.

Collaboration

The University needed the installation to be complete for the start of the new September term last year, so we put everything in motion to complete our works in that timescale. More often than not, we carry out all electrical work ourselves but, in this instance, our installation team worked seamlessly with the University’s electrical contractor, overseen by our experienced project managers. Working collaboratively is always something we’re happy to do!

Looking to the future

Dr David Ashton, Deputy Principal (Operations) of Royal Holloway, has said that the University is

“committed to addressing climate change and working hard towards goals such as achieving net zero by 2035”

and it’s brilliant to be part of the sustainability story at Royal Holloway. We hope to install more EV charge points here in the years to come.

Discover more

Read more about our Public EV projects

Check out our work with Schools, Colleges and Universities

Read more about Joju Charging as a portal for Public Sector EV Infrastructure Procurement

Dennis Eagle, LBI Tipper, electric, Islington
July 19, 2021 In

Islington Council’s Electrified Fleet

Islington Council has been working hard to electrify its fleet – one of several measures to reduce vehicle emissions in the borough, tackle the climate emergency and achieve a net zero carbon Islington by the year 2030.

An e-first in the Capital

As part of their initiatives, the forward-thinking borough became the first in London to use two innovative, purpose-built, fully-electric refuse collection trucks. The 26-tonne Dennis Eagle ‘eCollect’ produces no exhaust emissions and is much quieter than conventional collection trucks, as well as being more environmentally friendly. After putting the truck charging infrastructure supply and install out to tender, they agreed Joju would be the perfect partner for the job.

We installed vehicle charging equipment at the Council’s Waste and Recycling Centre, including two ABB Terra 94 90kW rapid chargers for the electric refuse trucks, and three Alfen dual 22kW chargers as well.

No time to waste

There was no time to waste after that installation either, because the electrification of Islington’s entire fleet of almost 500 vehicles including cars, vans, school and community buses and street cleaners, is ongoing.

To support this, we also installed two Alfen single units and 3 Alfen dual units at The Laycock Centre. Three dual Alfen chargers are currently going in at 222 Upper Street and the installation of 18 dual units is in progress at Pritchard Court.

This work will help the Council provide the infrastructure for a fully electric fleet in the coming years and we will be operating and maintaining these units for an initial three-year period, with our partner Hubeleon.

The future

We are currently working with Islington Council to continue the design work for other sites, with a mixture of rapid and fast charger installations being planned.

The Council has also just announced the arrival of the borough’s first, fully electric cage tipper vehicles, with each vehicle saving approximately 1,600 litres of diesel per year, as work to fully electrify the council’s fleet continues. Six vehicles will be used in the borough and by the time they all arrive, 11% of the council’s fleet will be electric.

As Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said:

“Creating a net-zero carbon borough by 2030 is one of the council’s leading priorities, and we know that achieving this will create a greener, cleaner, and fairer Islington for everyone.

“The ongoing electrification of our fleet will help to provide local people with cleaner air to breathe and tackle air pollution, which remains a major health emergency across London.

“Key to achieving our net-zero carbon ambition is working productively with partners in the local community, and our relationship with Joju is essential to our ongoing fleet electrification project.”

Our London office is just around the corner from the Council’s Cottage Road Waste and Recycling Centre and we’re proud to support the Council with its vision for a greener, healthier Islington.

FIND OUT MORE

Discover more about our Public Sector EV approach

Read other Public EV Charging case studies

Hear Dr Chris Jardine share his thoughts on UK EV Infrastructure

Noah'sArk, Green roof, biosolar, aerial, BArnet
January 25, 2021 In

A Biosolar Roof for Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice make moments matter. They help seriously unwell babies, children and their families make the most of the special time they have together, providing clinical, emotional and practical support to over 300 families across North and Central London and Hertsmere.

 

The hospice wanted to support an increase in the scale and quality of their work and to do that, they needed a new building. ‘The Ark’, a highly sustainable ‘home-from-home’ and an inspiring space for palliative care, relaxation and adventure, launched in September 2019 and was constructed within their nature reserve in Barnet, becoming the first new hospice building in London for ten years.

 

The realisation of The Ark was a combination of an incredibly successful fundraising appeal which raised over £12million, architectural design by Squire & Partners and collaboration between a number of construction and sustainability professionals – all playing their part to create this iconic new build. At Joju Solar, we got involved when creating ‘a green roof with a difference’ became part of the plan.

 

A Green roof with added solar

Bridgman & Bridgman in partnership with Bauder Ltd began the construction of The Ark’s green roof and the idea was to create a living, wildflower meadow in the sky, to support native wildlife as part of the building’s strong connection with its natural setting.

 

It was also important to make The Ark as self-sufficient as possible from an energy perspective, which meant installing solar PV on the green roof. The solar was being funded by the community through Energy 4 All, which significantly reduced the overall capital expenditure of the project (saving over £84,000 in energy costs to the client over a 20-year period). We’ve worked closely with Energy 4 All on a number of community-owned, green energy projects and they invited us to be part of the team – to install 171 solar PV panels so that both green roof and solar worked together in harmony.

 

When installed correctly, that’s exactly what Biosolar roofs create. PV panels can work more efficiently on a green roof, as green roofs help to keep the temperature around the panels at the optimum 25 degrees celsius. A hotter micro climate can result in loss of panel efficiency, so green roof and solar is the perfect partnership from that perspective. Efficiency was critical in this very special new build, to make sure the hospice would receive as greater yield as possible.

 

Solar panels can also create shaded areas underneath them, which encourages a wider variety of vegetation to grow on a green roof. That means the combination can help different types of species to thrive and in a nature reserve setting, this worked beautifully.  Look how the wind protection allows taller species to grow near the panels!

 

The installation utilised Bauder BioSOLAR – an integrated mounting system made stable by green roof layering and vegetation, removing the need for penetrating the waterproofing to secure the mounting units to the roof. It was ready for us to install the solar panels on to, with the frame sitting around 300mm higher than the line of the roof. This allowed growing room for vegetation without blocking any light to the panels and also meant light and moisture could reach beneath them to support any vegetation or wildlife below.

 

The seeds were planted following our PV solar install and once the mains electricity install was complete, we returned to commission the 46.17kWp system.

 

Green roof and solar – a winning combination

The combination of green roof and solar on The Ark was a winning one. Not only did it encourage biodiversity and fulfil the goal of generating the building’s electricity, the project won the “Roof Gardens/ Living Wall Installations – Commercial Roof Garden or Podium Landscaping – Under £500k” award in the BALI National Landscape Awards 2020. It’s also the first time a community funded green roof with PV panels has been used in the UK.

 

As the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said when the building opened:

“Noah’s Ark has been a beacon of light for the children and families it serves, so I’m delighted that they have a brand-new home,”

and we’re proud to have been able to play a small part in helping to make this peaceful sanctuary sustainable.

Discover more

 

January 4, 2017 In

Academic First for SOAS

The first crowd-funded solar project at a higher education institution was installed at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)

Background

After crowdsourcing funds combined with university investment Solar SOAS, a project led by student group The Energy and Climate Justice Student Society, successfully raised the funds needed for a 29.6kWp system to be installed at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). This was the first student-led crowdfunded project of its type and Joju were delighted to be involved. We pride ourselves on pioneering solar PV and community funded projects and this was yet another example of a solar first for Joju.

The SOAS community will decide how to spend the profits generated from the system (estimated to be £2000 a year) with a voting process to be opened each year to determine what green project or cause will be selected over the lifetime of the scheme.

The Project

Joju installed an East to West solar PV array with a Solis inverter in September 2016. It is a 29.6kW system which will generate 24.15 MWh per year for SOAS. It consists of 114 260W Amerisolar panels all attached to a K2 frame. The University has it’s own mini electricity grid with equipment, which while stunning in its antiquity was also listed so provided a unique challenge for us to incorporate a modern, high-tech solar PV system in to (see the picture).

This project was extremely unique, Joju Head of Engineering James Page said “What made this project really special was the fact it happened because of the combined forces of an enthusiastic bunch of students who kicked the thing off, all supported by accommodating staff: with just one or the other it wouldn’t have happened.”

The project also gained political support from Keir Starmer, local MP for Holborn & St. Pancras. He said he was “absolutely thrilled to see the first university community energy project in the UK happening in our constituency. We hope this will lead the way for further similar projects around the country!”

The Benefits

The installation demonstrate SOAS’s continual efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, with the installation thought to save over 10 tonnes of carbon every year, therefore, building on its success as a green institution. In 2016 SOAS  topped the Brite-Green university league table with a 55% reduction in carbon emissions since 2005. SOAS have also been awarded the Carbon Champion mark of achievement by the Camden Climate Change Alliance.

Solar SOAS is hoping that they will act as a pilot for other UK universities and even set up UniSolar, a community benefit society to administer and introduce community energy to other higher education establishments. They also plan to build on the success of this project, with other solar installations.

Isobel Annan, co-founder of Solar SOAS said: “We overcame many obstacles and met some hair-raising deadlines over the past two years, as full-time students and alumni endeavouring to do something green and good in a challenging policy environment. But we are live and generating, and ecstatic to see those shining panels.”

Baroness Valerie Amos CH, Director of SOAS said: “I am always impressed by the commitment of SOAS students to engage with the pressing issues facing our world today. Solar SOAS is an excellent example of our students taking a constructive and positive approach to tackling one of the great challenges of our time – climate change.”

 

 

December 7, 2016 In

Protecting homes from rising energy costs in Newham

Newham Council’s showpiece sustainable housing development goes solar

About the installation
Joju Solar won a competitive public tender to install a 20kWp system comprising 72 Sanyo/Panasonic 240W modules and 52 bespoke 45Wp brise soleil louvres on a brand new showpiece sustainable housing development for the London borough of Newham.

Installation time: 2 weeks

Challenge
To design and install an efficient solar PV system within complex architectural constraints and at the same time deliver strong financial returns. The PV installation needed to fit within a very tight program of works.

The new housing development was designed to lead the way in terms of both new sustainable home building and also to be a showcase in the borough for sustainable living. The solar installation was a key factor in allowing the client to meet the level five code for sustainable homes (a mandatory building requirement).

Solution
Joju Solar worked with the architect, principal contractor and other contractors involved in the development to meet the ambitious design limitations and tight program of works and delivered the project on time and on budget.
Our engineers designed a bespoke mounting system which allowed for the solar panels to be mounted above a green
living roof. The installation will deliver a high rate of return whilst at the same time helping the development achieve its sustainability targets.

What they said

Pip Watson, Principal Environmental Health Officer said “We wanted to lead the way in sustainable living locally. Joju delivered a bespoke installation which ticks the green box but will also reap strong financial returns for
the housing development.”

 

 

May 10, 2016 In

Merton Council leads the way

Merton Council

London Council leads the way with green energy portfolio

Merton Borough Council have added over 200kWp solar PV to their impressive portfolio of solar in the last 3 months, creating 190,000kWh of free energy for local Schools every year.

Merton Council continue to demonstrate their green energy leadership by being the first council to install solar PV following the cuts to the FITs believing in the benefits that solar PV provide to the council despite the reductions in rates.

Challenges 

Merton had an impressive portfolio of solar PV before Joju started working for them. Sadly there previous installer had gone out of business and as a result left them with a number of sites which were not functioning correctly. They needed a new contractor to help them continue their program and fix any pre-existing system issues. This is where Joju were able to step in. Merton selected us to carry on the work because of our high ranking on the Fusion21 framework and based on personal recommendations.

The benefits

Each School has benefitted through reduced bills. At the same time the Schools’ have the capacity to access up-to-date data produced by the PV system, which is be used for educational purposes. The Council also see a long-term return on their investment through the new FIT.

What they said about us

“Joju Solar installed over 170 kWp of solar panels in under 2 months on challenging school sites across the London Borough of Merton. All stages of the process from planning to install were excellent and we have received high praise from the sites themselves about the way their teams worked on site.

Even in the current Feed in Tariff regime we can see the benefits of installing PV on sites and we are very pleased to have partnered with Joju for these installs and will be continuing to work with them in the future.”

Cabinet member for Environmental Sustainability and Regeneration, Councillor Andrew Judge said: “The installation of so many solar panels to our buildings around Merton is integral to the future of our community. I’m delighted as these solar panels will not only help save money and cut running costs by generating our own electricity, but will also allow the borough to become more environmentally friendly.”

You can read about the installations on Merton Council Website here

Watch a video on the installation here

April 26, 2016 In

Simon’s solar installation

Simon Rowley’s conservation area installation 

Challenge

The overriding concern with this project was adhering to the planning regulations for a conservation area. Other essential roof repairs were also needed during the installation.

Solution

Joju Solar applied for and obtained a government grant on behalf of Simon. Joju Solar executed the installation project in conjunction with other essential roof repairs, demanding a high level of project management and coordination. Joju Solar ensured that the PV system, was installed flush with the existing roof, adhering to conservation guidelines for Ealing. This type of system is ideal for anyone re-roofing or undertaking new building work.

“I just thought I should record at this stage how pleased I am with the job that you did for me. Thank you!”

April 26, 2016 In

Ashok’s Birthday Solar

Ashok Patel’s birthday solar installation

Why did you choose solar?

“I wanted to reduce reliance on electricity from the grid and reduce my energy bills. After researching solar I decided it would not only reduce my electricity bills, but it would also be a good investment to leave to my family for the future.”
Challenge

To install the largest system possible on the roof space available and complete the installation for Ashok’s birthday as planned.

Solution

Understanding the customer’s requirements and objectives are important to ensure the best system and that it meets the customer’s expectations. Joju Solar worked closely with Ashok and designed a system to maximise the capacity given the limited roof space available. Savings on electricity bills and a decrease in reliance on electricity from the grid allowed Ashok to future proof against rising energy costs. Ashok was pleased with his system and very happy to have his legacy to pass onto his children, but most of all Ashok enjoyed that the installation was completed on his 76th birthday.

“I am very happy with my new solar PV system. After speaking to many other solar companies I was very impressed with the way Joju Solar answered all my questions. They gave me the exact system I was after and the installation was completed without any problems.”

 

nicky michaels grand designs
April 26, 2016 In

Nicky’s Grand Design

Nicky Michaels’ dream house was featured in Grand Designs Magazine

Why Did You Choose Solar?

“Being eco-friendly was really important to the house build and we knew that solar panels were going to play a part in helping us keep our carbon footprint down and ensure that our home really was an eco-home. We also had to make sure that any renewable technologies we put in would not impact our design. This was absolutely critical.”

Challenge

We had to design and install a system that not only provided Nicky and her husband Tony with the maximum generation from their system but also kept to the restrictions of being in a conservation area. The first system was installed in 2007 and was completed through the grants available from the government.

Nicky and Tony decided that they wanted another system installed so they could take advantage of the Feed-in Tariff. The second installation required us to move the first system and put the new system in its place, as this would allow the system to generate the most electricity being in the ideal location in terms of pitch and direction.

Solution

We dealt with several obstacles by creating our own bespoke ballasted mounting system and arranging our installation around glass ceilings, a green roof and restrictive planning position.The two systems have provided Nicky and Tony with electricity to power their dream home whilst also being able to take advantage of the Feed-in Tariff. The Michaels’ home was even featured on the cover of Grand Design Magazines.

“Joju Solar provided a great service with both installs. Service was good, the system was installed and working from day one”

April 5, 2016 In

Fox Primary School

Fox Primary School shows its cunning with solar installation.

Challenge
To install an 18kWp installation on the flat roof of this primary school in Notting Hill, Joju Solar worked with the school to secure some of the last capital grants available, totalling 50% of the total cost.

“I’d have no hesitation in recommending Joju Solar. This was an exciting project for our school and unlike other projects we’ve carried out. This meant we needed an installer we could trust and understood the issues involved in working in a live school environment. Joju Solar installed our school’s PV system on time and on budget and worked in accordance with all our requirements. I found them helpful, professional and expert at what they did. Many thanks.” Paul Cotter, Headteacher

Solution
After much planning and discussions we decided to install the system over the half-term break so as to cause minimal disruption to pupil and school life. The project consisted of 98 PV modules connected to the 3-phase supply of the building. This allowed the installation team to carry out the project with little problems.

Rewards
By generating green electricity on their available roof space the school can now expect to save over 8 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year and reduce their electricity bills at the same time.