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October 17, 2022 In

Stuart’s two-staged install

Stuart first got in touch with us back in 2021. He already had an EV charge point and wanted to get the full package for his home. He decided it was time for solar and a battery, so he could generate power and save any excess for when the house needed it.

A waiting game

Due to Tesla Powerwall supply timescales over the last year, we’ve often had to be flexible and take a different approach, splitting installations into two stages… installing solar panels and Powerwall’s separately, depending on kit availability. That’s exactly what happened with Stuart’s project.

Panels first, then Powerwall joins the party!

We installed the solar panels first, earlier this year, so that Stuart could instantly have the benefit of onsite generation without having to wait for the Powerwall. We stripped all the tiles back and installed 20 Sunpower 400 Wp panels, the aesthetically pleasing GSE in-roof mounting system, and an 8.2 kW Fronius inverter.

At the same time, we installed the Tesla Gateway – the control unit for the Powerwall, which helps it disconnect from the grid in a power cut. The Gateway would have to wait a short while to be joined by its partner in power storage, but after six months it was time for the Powerwall battery to take its rightful place!

A happy ending

Some installs are simple. Some have challenges along the way. In Stuart’s case stock was the challenge, but with patience and understanding on Stuart’s side and a flexible approach on ours, we have a very happy customer with a full set of kit, generating and storing clean energy for use exactly when the family needs it.

Discover more

Learn about solar panels for your home and how we choose them

How does a home battery work? Read our explanation

Why’s the Powerwall so popular? Head here to find out

Oxford Brookes, Sunset, Solar PAnels, Salix Finance
February 2, 2021 In

A Hub of High Efficiency at Oxford Brookes University

Oxford Brookes is one of the UK’s leading modern universities with an international reputation for teaching innovation and excellence. They are also in the top tier of universities leading the way when it comes to limiting their effect on the environment*. Their 35% reduction in carbon emissions since 2005, already puts the university ahead of its 2025 target of a 34% reduction, but this hasn’t stopped Oxford Brookes wanting to push on and do more – to continue to reduce its environmental impact and create a student campus that truly supports sustainability, as well as inspiring students to significantly reduce wasted energy use and carbon emissions.

 

Funding and Fusion 21

When Oxford Brookes learned they could secure renawable energy project funding through Salix Finance (interest-free funding for the public sector to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills), the university was keen to increase its existing solar PV capacity and looked into procurement routes to find the perfect solar PV partner.

They discovered Joju Solar through the Fusion 21 public sector procurement framework and after surveying the university site, we helped to identify five more suitable buildings for solar PV – designing and procuring the best possible system within Salix funding parameters. The project couldn’t cost more than £222 per tonne of carbon saved (over the lifetime of the project), with a project payback of 8 years.

 

A greater yield with SunPower

As Oxford Brookes University was committed to generating as much as possible in the available space, to “do more with less” and get the most value from existing building spaces, we used high efficiency SunPower modules on the Buckley Building, John Payne Building, Lloyd Building, Sinclair Building and the International Centre.

Although rare for a commercial solar panel installation project, these state-of-the-art panels gave Oxford Brookes greater output per square metre of roof space, adding just under 300kWp and doubling their solar PV capacity. From a cost perspective, this approach still worked within the Salix Finance funding model, so it was a winner all round!

Despite the installation being initially postponed due to Covid19, the 700 solar panels were installed in November 2020 and it was an absolute pleasure working with Oxford Brookes University to extend their visible commitment to a low carbon future by creating a high efficiency array – generating 224,912kWh per year, with a 57 tonnes CO2 saving.

 

Discover more

  • We love working in the education sector and Solar schools is one of our specialities.  We can deliver fully funded installations across your school or university estate, so do find out more about our solar for schools and education
  • Discover more about Solar PV and how we can help you.
  • SunPower modules are the state of the art – offering efficiencies of more than 23%.
February 1, 2017 In

EV Charging Time for Mr Wolff

EV Charging Time for Mr Wolff

What time is it Mr Wolff? Electric Vehicle Charging time of course! Joju residential customer Dick Wolff explains his reasons for having Electric Vehicle (EV) charging installed when he hasn’t even got an electric vehicle yet.

Oxford councillor and Green Group’s Shadow member for Transport, culture and communities Dick Wolff became one of our newest Joju solar PV customers this month. He also became one of our newest EV charging point customers too. A 7.98kWp SolarWorld system on SolarEdge optimisers and metering was fitted at Dick’s Oxford home alongside a 7.2kW eOLEV home charger supplied by EO charging.

The EO home charger describes itself as “the most easy-to-use, reliable and affordable charger on the market.” There is no software required so you can just plug in and instantly get a charge. EO is, therefore, great for customers who want a quick and easy solution. All you need to do is decide the power you want.

Power Miles of charge p/h Charge time Perfect for
3.7kW 15 7hrs Overnight parking

 
7kW 30 3.5hrs At work parking

 
11kW 50 2hrs Parking whilst you shop

 
22kW 100 1hr Quick stop parking

We spoke to Dick about why he had chosen to have solar PV and EV charging installed at his home. Here’s what he said.

What were your reasons for installing Solar PV?

“It’s two-fold really. The first reason is about energy security for our future. We have bought this house for our retirement. It’s a new build and we wanted to take a long term look to our future. We wanted to be less dependent on the grid as energy prices are certain to rise and rising energy costs will be a challenge when we have less income in retirement.

The second reason is to lower our impact on the environment. I have been a member of the Green Party and I am a councillor in Oxford and reducing our carbon footprint and helping to do our bit to fight climate change is important. Together these two reasons make a strong case for why solar PV was a logical choice for us.”

Why did you install EV charging as well?

“We wanted the house to do as much as it could. We haven’t even got an electric vehicle yet but this gives us the opportunity for the future. I know that our next vehicle will be electric so it was the smart thing to do. We have smart metering throughout the house and we replaced the entire gas heating system with an underfloor ground heat pump. Like I said this house is about our future retirement so it made sense to make it a house for the future too.”

Why did you choose Joju?

“Joju had come to us highly recommended. But I was also very aware of them from my work as a councillor in Oxford. I had seen the work they had done in areas of Oxford like Rose Hill and knew they offered high quality products and great service. We weren’t disappointed. Joju have been brilliant. The whole process worked really well. The only delay in the whole process came from the Government and waiting for approval. Joju did everything in their power to ensure a smooth process.”

If you are interested in EV Charging

If you would like EV charging installed then Joju can definitely help. We are authorised to install electric vehicle charging points under the Government’s Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which means that for approved systems, customers like yourselves can now receive grants. For more information on EV charging, approved systems, and how to obtain a grant, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

 

September 21, 2016 In

Prodrive to the moon and back

 

The largest community-owned roof mounted solar array in the UK

Background

Prodrive is a world leading motorsport and technology business. They are best known for motorsport, but they are now a technology business working in a range of sectors with operations in Banbury and Milton Keynes employing more than 500 staff.

READ MORE

June 10, 2016 In

Orchard Field Community School

Orchard Field School meets it high demand within strict grid restrictions

Orchard Field Community School is a large primary school in Banbury, Oxfordshire and a member of the Low Carbon Hub Solar Schools portfolio. The installation was installed in Summer 2015.

Challenge

Orchard Field Community School is a large primary school with a very high energy demand.  The school’s roof along with being large also curves around in a crescent moon shape. This presented a challenge in terms of how to secure the panels to the roof. The lengths of rail which we normally used on gable roofs couldn’t be used.  This also presented a challenge in terms of how best to wire the solar PV modules to the inverters, as panels facing in slightly different directions have different outputs depending on the location of the sun.  Orchard Field was therefore a tricky set up.

The final challenge was also to limit the potential export to the national grid. Despite the high demand on site solar PV export was limited to 50kWp, meaning that we needed to find a way to prevent the PV system from generating 50kWp more than the demand on site at any point in time – a very likely occurrence over the summer holidays.

Benefits

On a clear spring day the solar PV system meets the total energy demand on site. During the Summer this happens  more and more. Whatever the weather this system makes a significant reduction to the School’s electricity bills. And like all our installations in schools it has become a valuable educational tool for the pupils.

Why they chose Joju?

Joju have been one of the preferred suppliers of the Low Carbon Hub for several years and Orchard Croft is just another fantastic example of us working with them.

Headmistress Dawn Shilston said “As a school we feel incredibly proud to be doing our utmost to reduce our Carbon Footprint. It is incredible to consider we are the largest Solar Roof Project on a Primary School in Oxfordshire with our school roof hosting 384 solar panels. It has been an invaluable exercise in educating our pupils for the future on the importance for us all to explore the possibility of using renewable resources for our energy.”

Read More about the installation and all its savings here at Low Carbon Hub

 

 

April 26, 2016 In

Dick and Nina’s Solar delight

Dick and Nina Dendy thought their shed roof was too small for solar

Why did you decide to choose solar?

“We went to a lecture that was given by Joju solar and were impressed, there was no sell but a comprehensive explanation on how PVC’s worked. After some thought we went ahead and installed the panels, and 3 weeks before they were put up we had a phone call from Joju solar to say that they had a cheaper source for the panels and reduced our bill by £1,000, and it is that honesty that we found very impressive. Also they are always on the end of the line when needed and are most helpful.”

Challenge

Dick and Nina lived in a ground floor flat so they were limited to where they were able to have panels installed. Joju Solar arranged for a Residential Project Manager to visit and to discuss possible solutions.

Solution

After discussions and a site survey it was agreed that the panels could be fitted to their shed, due to the size of the shed there was a limit to how many panels would fit but The final system consisted of 5 Sharp 185W panels. The system produces 796kWh per annum with 0.42 tonnes of carbon dioxide saved and estimated annual benefit of £393.

“Financially we are glad we installed them. They went up in Feb and we have had 3 cheques since then which has reduced the sum we pay out each month.”

April 26, 2016 In

Oxford University Engineering Department

Oxford University, Engineering Department receives expert Solar PV engineering

Challenge

Oxford University is one of Europe’s most innovative and entrepreneurial universities. They wanted to design and install a PV solar energy system that could help provide students with a more effective way of studying renewable energy. At the same time the system had to be fitted on the roof of the engineering department without penetrating the roof membrane and invalidating the roof’s warranty. Joju also had to integrate the solar energy monitoring system with the department’s existing IT infrastructure.

Solution

The project required a certain amount of innovation  in order to secure the panels onto the flat roof flat roof without fixing them to the building. The problem was solved by instead using ballasted buckets. Joju Solar also obtained a 40% grant for the installation from the government, on behalf of the client.

 

Benefits

Through the 1.36kWp system the University gained an invaluable teaching aid that is used for students across various courses, helping them to understand first hand PV and microgeneration, and helping support its reputation as a world class leader in technology and environmental research. The photovoltaic (PV) system will pay for itself within its guaranteed lifetime.

 

April 26, 2016 In

Aldi Supermarket Botley Road, Oxford

Aldi Supermarket Oxford improves sustainability reputation with solar PV installation

Aldi Supermarket’s have a strong reputation for corporate social responsibility, therefore, asking Joju to install a commercial solar PV system demonstrated their commitment to sustainability and improving the environmental performance of their operations and buildings.

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April 26, 2016 In

Norbar Tools

Norbar Tools get tooled up with Solar PV

Challenge

To scope, survey, design, supply and install solar panels for the Norbar Tools factory in Banbury, Oxfordshire. The project involved a very tight timescale of only five weeks from contract signature to full commission in order to meet the Feed-in Tariff deadline. This was also a community-funded project by the Low Carbon Hub with no upfront costs to Norbar Tools.

READ MORE

April 21, 2016 In

Project ERIC

Social Housing tenants in Rose Hill reduce energy bills through the installation of solar PV.

Project ERIC (Energy Resources for Integrated Communities) is a collaborative research project part funded by the UK government (Innovate UK) to investigate how using innovative energy storage technology can help a community to save energy. Working in collaboration with  Oxford City Council, GreenSquare, Bioregional and Moixa Technology. Joju were chosen as the Solar PV provider for the project. Project ERIC represents a £1.2 million investment in Rose Hill over two years.

Project ERIC’s main aims were to help reduce the energy bills of low income residential tenants in the community while at the same time help generate long-term savings for the council and reduce the carbon footprint of the city. Project ERIC aims to demonstrate that 100% of Solar PV energy generated in Rose Hill can be used by the community.

Joju were proud to be a part of such an innovative and important research project that promoted community energy. We were selected as a partner and collaborator for the Project through the Buy for Good procurement framework, which recognised Joju as the highest ranked provider in the area. The City Council were also keen to select local suppliers to work on the Project.

Joju Solar led the installs of solar PV in Rose Hill alongside the council working to a very ambitious schedule in order to achieve the best possible Feed-in-Tariff. Joju were also supportive in helping the ERIC team support tenants and maximise the learnings within the project.