Centrica's Local Energy Market (LEM) has completed the installation of energy monitoring equipment at one of Cornwall's most iconic sites, the Goonhilly Earth Station.
As one of the most recognised names in the Space Industry, Goonhilly is famous around the world for being one of three earth stations involved in the first trans-Atlantic TV transmission in 1962 and to have beamed back images of the 1969 moon landing.
Thanks to a grant from the Cornwall LEM, 165 sensors from Centrica Business Solutions have been installed on the site, which is already saving money as staff have been monitoring anomalies in site energy consumption and taking action by turning equipment off or down. The wireless, self-powered sensors monitor the flow of electricity and deliver energy information to an online analytics platform.
Neil Bailey, LEM Business Development Manager said: “The installation at Goonhilly is one of the largest in the UK for Centrica and we are pleased to be working on such an iconic site. Goonhilly is sure to make significant reductions as typically, businesses can make at least ten per cent savings on their electricity bill, but it could potentially be more.”
Kevin Wilkes, Satellite Communications Engineer for Goonhilly said: “We could immediately identify parts of the site that were consuming the most energy including the heating of our corridors and the archive room where we need to keep the heating on to protect documents. Something as simple as turning thermostats down is making significant savings.”
Other sites that have recently had the energy monitoring equipment include: Cornwall Natural Spring Water, Deltor Communications Ltd, Leyonne Energy Ltd, Teagle Machinery and Tregerles Farm.
Businesses that are interested in the LEM grant for energy monitoring equipment can email us for further information.
Centrica’s LEM £19m trial has been set up to test the role of flexible power demand, generation and storage in over 150 homes and businesses across Cornwall. The company is working with local businesses and other large energy users, awarding funds up to a total of £8.6 million to cover the cost of a variety of initiatives. These include: energy audits, smart technology upgrades combined heat and power units and battery storage, with the aim of helping unlock money making potential and reducing energy costs.