Retail sector · 2024
525 kWp Solar Carport, 420 Customer Bays — Greater London Supermarket
A national supermarket chain's flagship Greater London store wanted to convert its 420-bay customer car park into a sustainability flagship. The 525 kWp solar carport now generates ~446,000 kWh/yr and offers 28 free 22 kW EV chargers as a footfall driver.
Project at a glance
525 kWp
System size
420
Parking bays
£225,000
Annual saving
4.1 years (after AIA
)
Challenge
The site is a busy daytime trading location — store hours 06:00-23:00 — meaning carport construction had to occur with the car park live. Bay availability could only be reduced by 25% maximum at any time. Additionally, the site sits within a Conservation Area, requiring a heritage-sensitive design treatment.
Our Approach
- Five-phase construction schedule taking ~85 bays offline at a time (out of 420), running 18:00-06:00 Mon-Fri plus weekend day shifts
- Heritage-toned powder-coated steel matched to local conservation area palette (sage-grey RAL 7026)
- Pre-application consultation with local authority Conservation Officer — secured Conservation Area consent in 12 weeks
- Architectural canopy treatment with continuous gutter, integrated wayfinding signage, and customer EV charging zone
- Tier-1 Trina Vertex 580W bifacial panels in 9 string banks of SolarEdge SE100K with P-Series optimisers
Outcomes
£225k
Annual electricity bill reduction
446,000 kWh
Annual generation
85%
Self-consumption rate
4.1 yr
After-AIA payback
180 tCO₂e
Annual Scope 2 emissions reduction
28
Free customer EV chargers added
"We needed a delivery partner who could keep the store trading every day of the build. They did exactly that. The carport has become a marketing feature in its own right — every customer photo of our car park now shows our commitment to renewables."
— Head of Sustainability, National Supermarket Chain
Spec a Similar Project
Free feasibility, indicative ROI within 5 working days.