It will allow the club to view up-to-the-minute statistics on how well the panels are performing and how much income they are generating

Award-winning renewable energy installer SunGift Solar has completed a multi-roof PV system on a Devon sailing club that will generate enough energy to provide almost all of its electricity needs and help them achieve their dream of becoming a more sustainable organization.

While many buildings choose a single PV array, Exe Sailing Club has three different roofs, so SunGift Solar custom-design and installed a system that would fit across them all, making maximum use of their available space. To make this possible, SunGift's designers incorporated award-winning Solar Edge ‘power optimisers', into the 40-panel system, which enable each panel to work independently, minimise the effects of shading from nearby buildings, and allow the club to view up-to-the-minute statistics on how well the panels are performing and how much income they are generating.

Rex Frost, the club's Commodore, said: "This is a huge step forward in terms of securing our future energy needs. We're not a small club, and a large amount of our running costs are spent on electricity and fuel for our boats, so the solar PV array will help us control some of those costs, while providing valuable additional income."

Whereas many solar PV systems feed their excess electricity back into the national grid, the sailing club will make maximum use of the electricity it generates, as it has a constant usage throughout the day. "We use electricity in the bar, the restaurant, the beer chiller and throughout the club house," added Rex, "so we're really making the most out of the green energy we generate, as the energy that the panels produce is free and we get a healthy government payment for producing it."

Gabriel Wondrausch, managing director of SunGift Solar, said: "Solar PV was an excellent solution for Exe Sailing Club, as it significantly reduces their running costs and will pay for itself in a matter of years. With rising energy costs, we're finding that many more local groups are looking to generate their own electricity and heat from renewable sources, rather than having to buy it from energy companies."

Despite the complex nature of the sailing club's roof, the system that SunGift Solar fitted is typical of the type of on-roof system that it installs on domestic properties, club premises and businesses across Devon and the south west.

PHOTO Captions:
1. Exe Sailing Club clubhouse – showing two of the roofs that have PV panels on them
2. Solar PV panels on the third roof of Exe Sailing Club clubhouse
3. Exe Sailing Club's Commodore Rex Frost
4. SunGift Solar Managing director Gabriel Wondrausch

More high resolution images at https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rbswagjn8fb5sjx/s-ZG65cx07

About Sungift Solar
SunGift Solar is a renewable energy specialist that offers a personal design service and tailored systems to meet its customers' exact requirements. It fits a whole range of renewable energy technologies – from solar panels and ground-source heat pumps to biomass boilers and small wind turbines.

Formed in 2005 by owner Gabriel Wondrausch, the friendly Exeter-based company employs 46 members of staff, and was one of the first installers in Devon to be accredited to the government's microgeneration scheme. SunGift Solar is acclaimed by the industry, winning the 2011 and 2009 South West Green Energy Award for Renewable Energy Installer or Supplier of the Year, and finishing runner up in the same category in 2010.

Using the highest-quality systems is an important part of SunGift Solar's philosophy, and it constantly strives to use the latest, cutting-edge equipment, combined with the highest standards of workmanship.