Rooftop solar at Portsmouth International Port saves almost £140,000 in one year
A 1.2MW rooftop solar installation at Portsmouth International Port has reduced the port’s electricity spend by £138,058 over the past 12 months.
According to the port, the last piece of the project was finalised in July 2023, where an upgraded connection to the national grid allowed the “full potential of the 1.2MWp solar system to be realised”.
The 2,200 PV panels cover all available roof space on the port’s terminals and a canopy over its car lanes. On sunny days, the port can run completely off-grid and the installation met 21% of the site’s electricity demand over the past year.
At its new terminal extension, Portsmouth International Port said it paid just £41 for electricity for the year, drawing just 0.28% of its power from the grid.
Councillor Kimberly Barrett, Portsmouth City Council cabinet member for climate change and greening the city, said that as part of plans to become the UK’s first emissions-free port by 2050, “it has taken the lead in trialling and implementing a host of technological sustainability initiatives”.
“The low electricity bills demonstrate the real-world impact this forward-thinking strategy is having, saving money for our residents in the process.”
When the solar installation was completed in 2023, the port’s goal was to be net zero by 2030. The project was managed by Portsmouth City Council’s in-house energy services team and installed by Custom Solar. Portsmouth International Port’s sustainability measures also include a 1.5MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) onsite.
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Solar PV at ports
The UK’s largest commercial roof mounted solar installation is at the Port of Liverpool, for the Peel Ports Group. Delivering up to 31MW generation capacity, the project overtakes the previous record of 6.5MW at Associated British Ports’ Port of Hull, completed in 2020.
E.ON is delivering the Liverpool installation under a 25-year agreement that sees the energy supplier finance and maintain the project after it is installed. It is expected to be complete in 2026 and provide about 25% of the port’s annual electricity need.