Car Park Study
Appendix Two
SOLAR POWERED P&D MACHINES - BACKGROUND NOTE
There are a number of examples of usage from around the UK. These machines tend to be purchased by local authorities for small scale on street parking, where laying a cable infrastructure for grid connected machines would prove disruptive and not cost effective. They have been employed by the Woking Borough Council, Kirklees, Halifax and Ealing. All the authorities contacted confirmed lack of operational problems and economic benefits of solar powered P&D.
They are quick and easy to install as pavements do not have to be dug up for a mains connection, which costs approximately £500 for a cable only a short distance from the machine, but increases to about £1800 for a conventional machine slightly further away. Therefore deployment of PV (solar powered) machines reduces costs and ensures minimal disruption - a bonus for pedestrians and conservation areas. The machines are economical to run as there are no electricity charges and can be relocated easily whenever parking facilities may change. They produce enough electricity to power the machine even on a cloudy day, and the excess is stored in a battery. Interestingly, the best efficiency is achieved when the solar panels are positioned in a way which provides "solar shading" rather than in full sun, as in full sun conditions more of the energy is converted into solar thermal energy rather than light/electrical energy.
The small scale energy efficient P&D projects can be more cost effective than installation of conventional machines. For Woking, the installation of 14 PV machines cost £ 41,315, whereas the quote for the total cost of the installation of conventional machines was for £ 41,440. The cost of a PV machine per unit is around £2,500, with the mains powered version retailing at around £2,150 + grid connection and installation and running costs (see above). They are also estimated to save £130 - £150 per year in electricity charges.
The PV machines have one additional advantage over conventional P&Ds. As there is no underground wiring for the new machines, the information about ticket sales, takings and attempted thefts is transmitted by microwave technology to a central computer. This saves on the employee time, as the information does not have to be physically downloaded from a remote to the central computer, and the system is easier to operate.
Siemens have come up with a state of the art PV P&D machine, with advertising space (which could be used for public transport information), tariff selection and credit/cash card payment option. They also offer servicing.
Contacts:
- Producers:
- Schlumberger - Arthur Crossley, UK Sales Manager, phone number: 07802 201846 or 01202 850850
- Metric Parking Division, Metric Group Limited, Metric House, Love Lane, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 1YG, tel: 01285 651 441, fax: 653 944
- BriPark Ltd tel: 01732 771775
- PES House, 17 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3XJ, tel: 020 8543 3281, fax: 020 8543 5344, Email sales@pesparking.com,
- and www.blick.co.uk
- Others:
- New and Renewable Energy Enquiries Bureau, ETSU, Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0RA, tel: 01235 432 450, fax 433 066
- British Photovoltaic Association, tel: 01189 324418, Email: pv-uk@dial.pipex.com, www.pv-uk.org.uk
- Solar Trade Association Ltd, tel: 01208 873518, www.solartradeassociation.org.uk,
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