SMS is to rollout solar PV, battery storage and heat pumps across 100 homes as part of a new £5.2 million project.
It has partnered Aberdeen City Council for the rollout of the green technologies and fabric retrofits, with £2.2 million having been successful won from the government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator.
SMS will intelligently operate the battery system through its cloud-based aggregation software FlexiGrid, with this remote optimisation of the battery removing the barrier of consumer behaviour change and maximising the consumption of renewable energy generated on site by the solar, according to SMS.
FlexiGrid will also optimise grid import and export via the home’s smart meter to deliver demand-side management.
This flexibility service comes as part of SMS’ recently launched Solopower solution, which offers a fully financed rollout of solar PV and battery storage to the social housing sector.
Each property will also be surveyed with thermal imaging technology, which can identify where fabric improvements are required to reduce space heating demand.
Installation is expected to be completed in December 2021, and will create 39 local jobs. This job creation will demonstrate how, if delivered at scale, investment in green infrastructure “can support the government’s agenda to level up regional economic growth,” Sean Keating, head of new energy systems at SMS, said. He added that “above all” the project is about creating a more sustainable future.
After completion, the energy performance of the homes will be re-surveyed and monitored for a period of six months to demonstrate concept efficacy.
The project is to be delivered in partnership with Robertson Group and IRT Surveys.
Current± recently caught up with SMS MD Mark Hamilton to discuss how FlexiGrid is managing demand in Orkney as part of the £28.5 million ReFLEX Orkney project, what’s next for ReFLEX and what Solopower has to offer.