1.6 MWp Solar Carport at National Parcel Operator's Midlands Hub
A national parcel operator delivered a 1.6 MWp solar carport over a 1,100-bay staff and depot car park at its Midlands hub. The carport powers the depot conveyors, refrigeration, lighting and a 64-charger DC rapid bank for the LCV fleet. Combined with existing 850 kWp rooftop solar, the site now generates ~2.3 GWh/yr.
Project at a glance
Challenge
The site operates 24/7 — there is no shift window during which the entire car park can close. Around 1,100 staff and 220 LCVs use the car park each day. The DNO had only 1.2 MVA of export capacity available, requiring G100 export limiting and battery integration. The fleet's LCV electrification programme (now 65% electric) demanded 64 DC rapid chargers integrated at carport columns.
Our Approach
- Twelve-phase construction taking 90 bays offline at a time, 24/7 build window with shift-pattern coordination
- G100 export-limited DNO application (1.2 MVA limit), supplemented by 800 kWh BYD battery for evening peak time-shifting
- 64 × 50 kW DC rapids dynamically load-balanced with depot operations via SMA Hybrid Controller
- TMS (Transport Management System) integration for vehicle charge scheduling
- Tier-1 Trina Vertex 580W bifacial panels with SMA Sunny Tripower 100kW inverters
- Sub-metered for depot, fleet, and grid export — full SECR reporting compatibility
Outcomes
"We had a hard deadline: every LCV had to be fleet-electric by 2027. This project closed the loop — the carport powers the depot, the depot powers the LCVs, all without grid bottleneck."
— Head of Operations, National Parcel Operator
Spec a Similar Project
Free feasibility, indicative ROI within 5 working days.