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| The
new Blackfriars station, which is being built on a bridge
spanning the River Thames, is on its way to becoming the
world’s largest solar bridge after work started today to
install over 4,400 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. |
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| The
Victorian bridge, built in 1886, is the foundation for the
new Blackfriars station, which is being upgraded by Network
Rail to cater for more passengers and an improved
trainservice. A new roof, added to the historic structure,
will incorporate over6,000m2 of PV panels, creating the
biggest solar array in London. |
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The solar panels will generate
an estimated 900,000kWh of electricity every year, providing
50% of the station’s energy and reducing CO2 emissions by an
estimated 511 tonnes per year. In addition to solar panels,
other energy saving measures at the new station will include
rain harvesting systems and sun pipes for natural lighting.
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The Blackfriars upgrade is part
of Network Rail’s Thameslink programme, which will see
longer trains running on the route from Bedford to Brighton
through London. Once the upgrade is complete, up to 24
trains per hour will be able to run on the central London
section of the route, meaning more seats for commuters.
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Lindsay Vamplew, Network Rail’s
project director for Blackfriars, said: “We’re creating a
spacious, modern station and delivering a vastly improved
train service for passengers, while at the same time
installing London’s largest solar array to make Blackfriars
more environmentally-friendly and sustainable. The Victorian
rail bridge at Blackfriars is part of our railway history.
Constructed in the age of steam, we’re bringing it bang up
to date with twenty first century solar technology to create
an iconic station for the city.” |
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The company behind the solar
engineering and installation is London-based Solarcentury,
which worked with engineers Jacobs to incorporate solar PV
into the station design. The high-efficiency solar modules
used are manufactured by SANYO Electric Co. Ltd. |
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Derry Newman, chief executive,
Solarcentury, said: “It’s fantastic to see this project
finally come to fruition. Blackfriars Bridge is an ideal
location for solar; a new, iconic large roof space, right in
the heart of London. Station buildings and bridges are fixed
parts of our urban landscape and it is great to see that
this one will be generating renewable energy every day into
the future. Unknown to most, there are many hundreds of
buildings now powered by solar in the capital as investment
in this technology increases. For people to see that solar
power is working is a vital step towards a clean energy
future.” |
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Mr. Shigeki Komatsu, solar
division director of SANYO Component Europe GmbH, commented:
“SANYO is very proud to have its HIT solar modules used in
the redevelopment of Blackfriars Station. The high
efficiency of our solar modules makes them ideal for
structures where maximum power generation is required from
an area where load must be considered. With our solar
modules on this well known London landmark, SANYO hopes to
raise awareness and understanding of solar and other
renewable energy technologies, demonstrating how they can
both help the city environment and minimise the onset of
climate change.” |
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