The Playing Field & Hammond Pavilion

Many people will have noticed the additional equipment recently installed on the roof of the Hammond Pavilion on the Playing Field at Old Lincoln Road Caythorpe.

This has comprised a total of 35 Photo Voltaic (solar) Panels which will cut the cost of the energy bill for the Playing Field Committee, who in turn can limit price increases to users of the facility.

The project has been under discussion since 2022 and various options have been considered including a larger PV installation, and battery storage.

In the end the battery installation was omitted due to planning considerations, , and the PV installation size was downgraded due to restrictions placed upon us by the DNO (District Network Operator or Power Company) as their cable network could not cope with the power that the installation would generate.

Funding for the project was obtained by means of a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund administered by South Kesteven District Council, and this covered the whole of the cost of the installation.

The work was carried out for the Playing Field Committee by UK Alternative Energy of North Hykeham, who specialise in this type of work. From the scaffold being erected, the PV installation carried out and linked to the existing electrical system, and the scaffold being struck and removed took just a week, minimising disturbance to users of the pavilion.

Whilst the scaffold was erected for the work, the opportunity was taken to cut back some of the vegetation overhanging the roof and path and to clear off  the moss and lichen from the accessible areas of the roof and clean out the gutters. The removed vegetation was donated to a local smallholder to feed their goats.

It is estimated that the installation will generate 10448 kWh of electricity per annum and save 2434kg of carbon annually. It is estimated that it will have a total annual benefit of nearly £2300 (at today’s prices) in cost savings on fuel bought and electricity exported to the grid.