Haynes Motor Museum puts Solar in the Driving Seat

• 240kW solar system delivers up to 90% of the museum’s daily energy requirements

27th February 2024 – Award-winning Haynes Motor Museum in Yeovil, Somerset has installed a DC-optimised rooftop solar system to provide renewable energy to the museum, shop, café, conference centre, and hospitality facilities. The system meets the site's high energy demands during daylight hours when the majority of energy is consumed, averaging 50% of total daily energy requirements and exceeding 90% on sunnier days.

Installed by Sunlit Solar, the project comprises 648 high-efficiency 370w panels arranged in 18 sets of 36 panels, with two SolarEdge Synergy 82.2kw inverters. To overcome the challenge posed by the museum's north-facing roof, the installation team digitally modelled the optimum rooftop layout and solar array utilisation for maximum energy generation and associated cost savings. Due to the north-facing roof, SolarEdge Power Optimisers played a pivotal role in maximising the system's overall efficiency, coupled with continuous monitoring at the panel level to ensure seamless operation.

Mike Rogers, Managing Director at Sunlit Solar, says: "We're thrilled to have completed this installation at such an iconic location. Overcoming the challenges of the roof design, the system can provide over 90% of the museum's energy needs on sunny days. The safety of visitors, staff, and the priceless collection of classic vehicles was central to the project, and we're particularly pleased to have successfully placed safety, sustainability, and cost-effectiveness at the forefront of this project."

With the museum home to a multi-million-pound classic vehicle collection and welcoming tens of thousands of visitors annually, safety was a key factor in selecting the system. The integrated safety technology is designed to ensure that the Power Optimisers on the modules  rapidly reduce voltage across the entire array to a touch-safe 1V in the unlikely event of an emergency. To further enhance safety, a Firefighter Gateway provides centralised control over the entire solar system, allowing manual or automatic shutdown to safe voltages. Additionally, integrated arc fault protection is designed to efficiently detect and interrupt potential arc faults.