Aviva Insurance plc
Norwich
The ambition
Environmental sustainability is a high business priority for Aviva, with an ambitious target to purchase and/or generate 100% of their electricity from renewable technologies on a worldwide basis by 2025, and they are working towards a 70% reduction in operational CO2 across the whole company by 2030. In 2006, Aviva became the first carbon neutral international insurer.
63%
of Aviva’s demand on electrical energy was supplied by RenEnergy’s solar carports
To assist Aviva to reach this goal, RenEnergy completed one of the largest solar carports in the UK at the time. This specific building, that housed a large call centre, has since been sold, and it is believed that the presence of a solar PV system with demonstrable benefits may have been one of the key factors facilitating a successful sale.
The solution
Covering 250 car parking spaces at the building in Norwich, the installation was designed to generate more than 542,000kWh per year, enough to power 138 homes. During peak hours the building, that can accommodate 1,000 employees, it is effectively off-grid and powered 100% by the sun.
Designed with the Electric Vehicle (EV) revolution in mind, the carport has futureproofed the building to allow for the addition of EV charging infrastructure. This will allow employees to charge their electric vehicles onsite and avoid the constraints of an overloaded, national electricity grid.
608kWp
Total installed capacity
1,872
Solar panels installed
24
Inverters installed
“We were delighted to be provided with the opportunity to showcase our bespoke solar carport designs with such a high profile client. Aviva has shown real foresight in utilising its car park to expand its generation capacity, whilst reducing its environmental impact and future-proofing the business for the electric car revolution. We hope other companies will follow Aviva’s lead and the benefits offered by the innovative design.”
Damian Baker, Managing Director, RenEnergy
250
Parking spaces can generate enough electricity to power
138 homes annually
“The solar carport is a really innovative way to generate green energy, tackle climate change and reduce our environmental impact. It’s a fantastic design that delivers on the environmental benefits without impacting on space. And it’s ready for the future with the electric vehicle revolution just around the corner. We are thrilled with RenEnergy’s brilliant design and construction. It was great to be able to use a local company whose skill and expertise in this field has delivered this amazing result.”
Stuart Wright, Property and Facilities Director, Aviva
CO2
Annual saving of 200 tonnes. That’s the same weight as 444 thoroughbred horses.
RenEnergy’s proprietary carport design was manufactured in Norfolk. As with all of RenEnergy’s renewable energy solutions, economic and environmental sustainability are key, so our solution used screw pile anchors in order to minimise the need for polluting and expensive concrete ballast, as well as providing flexibility of design.
The benefits
The solution reduces the landlord’s annual energy spend, with resultant profitability benefits
Powers an electric vehicle for 1.5 million miles – 60 times around the world!
Demonstrates a commitment to environmental responsibility
Solution design was bespoke to Aviva and the building, tailored to specific needs and challenges
Estimated annual CO2 savings of 200 tonnes
And we believe it may have made the building more desirable to investors
Note that all estimated performance figures are calculated using industry-standard systems and norms, assume ideal operating conditions, and would have been estimated as at the time of the installation. CO2 equivalent analogies source