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Manchester Tower Goes Solar

Posted: 14/06/2005

The UK's largest road-going crane towered 133m over the Manchester sky line recently as part of the ambitious project to clad the CIS Tower with solar panels. CIS asked solarcentury, the UK's leading solar energy company to 'develop a solution' for ventilated PV rain cladding. Arup then employed solarcentury to act as PV consultants, providing specialised PV knowledge and design.

The crane lifted a cradle, which will be used for cleaning and maintenance of the photovoltaic panels once they have been fitted, on to the top of Manchester's tallest building. When the work is complete at the end of the year, the panels will create 180,000 units of renewable electricity each year - enough energy to make nine million cups of tea.

The £5.5m solar project, the largest ever in the UK, is being supported by a £885,000 grant from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and a £175,000 grant from the Department of Trade & Industry. It is expected that the 400 ft high array of dark blue solar panels, which will work regardless of the weather, will stand out on the Manchester skyline and even become a tourist attraction.

Gary Thomas, Head of Property and Facilities at Co-operative Financial Services (CFS), which was formed to bring the CIS and The Co-operative Bank together, said: "This is a landmark development,in every sense of the phrase. For Manchester, the UK and for the whole of Europe it demonstrates that solar panels are viable almost anywhere.

"The Grade ll listed CIS building is now more than 40 years old and the small mosaic tiles that clad the service tower of the building need replacing. These solar panels are the ideal solution. They will protect the tower from the elements, enhance its appearance and generate significant amounts of renewable energy.

Bryan Gray, Chair of the NWDA said: "We are delighted to be supporting this high profile project which typifies how innovative and forward looking this region is. "40 per cent of Europe's energy use is associated with buildings, but old building stock is renewed at only two per cent per annum. Therefore, renewable energy and energy efficient solutions for existing buildings will be key to delivering national and regional targets in this area. "As climate change moves up the political agenda, the North West is yet again shining a beacon and leading the way for the rest of the UK."
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