Output claims better stack up

A new scheme from Merton council will put pressure on consultants to ensure renewable energy lives up to performance claims.

The London council is setting up an internet-based programme to measure the output of a new development’s photovoltaic and wind turbine set-up. If the system works, it could be rolled out across all local autorities.

“It’s designed to be replicable across any local authority. We’re going to learn a lot more about the equipment and the buildings,” said Adrian Hewitt, Merton’s principal environment officer.

The driver for the programme is London’s target for businesses to use 20% renewable energy from 1 April. “We’re going to see an exponential growth all over London of these micro-generation units, so the key is to keep a tight forensic trace on their energy outputs,” said Hewitt.

At the moment planning officers take output claims from developers and manufacturers at face value. The idea is that in future, planners and developers will know what the output is likely to be and so can more easily judge if a system will meet the target.

Hewitt said the information was for use solely at the planning stage, when the monitoring would allow the council to question a stated output. He stressed that no authority could penalise a development that had already gone through the planning process for lower than expected output on equipment installed.

Merton’s test scheme is being set up with Big Yellow Self Storage on the firm’s 10,000m2 new warehouse in the borough, due to open this month. It will have a 144-panel photovoltaic array on the roof, and a wind turbine is planned. Wall-mounted sensors will send data to a nearby computer terminal for downloading to a website.

“The data will be analysed and the information will be open to anyone who has anything to do the energy side of a project, the architect, developer and equipment manufacturer,” said Hewitt.