Powering Sustainable Communities: Wiltshire Council's Solar Car Park

Five Rivers Leisure Centre

Salisbury

We are a forward-thinking innovative council, and we’re delighted to have worked with 3ti to collaborate on this exciting project, which supports our carbon commitments while saving money on our electricity bills.

Councillor Tamara Reay

Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Assets

3ti partners with Wiltshire Council to deliver pioneering sustainable solar car park and EV charging infrastructure at Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury.

Background

Wiltshire Council has made a firm commitment to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2030. As part of this ambitious goal, the council sought innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions while enhancing public services and infrastructure. Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury, as one of the council’s flagship leisure facilities, was identified as an ideal location to demonstrate leadership in sustainable energy solutions.

The council aimed to implement renewable energy generation that would both reduce operational costs and showcase their commitment to environmental stewardship. Additionally, they recognised the growing need for EV charging infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles within their community.

Challenge

Wiltshire Council faced several key challenges in implementing their sustainability vision:

  • Reducing carbon emissions from council-owned buildings while maintaining service delivery
  • Balancing upfront investment in renewable infrastructure with long-term cost savings
  • Selecting construction materials and methods that would minimise environmental impact
  • Meeting the increasing demand for EV charging facilities in public spaces
  • Creating a visible demonstration of their commitment to sustainability
  • Delivering measurable results towards their 2030 carbon neutrality goal

The council needed a partner with expertise in solar energy and EV charging solutions who could deliver a comprehensive and innovative approach to these challenges.

Our Approach

3ti Energy Hubs worked closely with Wiltshire Council to design and implement a multi-faceted renewable energy solution at Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre:

  • Construction of three gullwing solar canopies covering 70 car park spaces with a combined capacity of approximately 220 kWp
  • Use of sustainable Glulam timber beams (renewable, recyclable wood laminations) as an environmentally friendly alternative to steel or concrete
  • Installation of Glass-Glass solar panels for optimum energy generation
  • Deployment of 3ti’s award-winning Papilio3 solar EV charging hub to provide reliable, fast, and safe EV charging for visitors and staff
  • Smart energy management systems to maximise on-site use of generated electricity

The use of Glulam timber provided significant environmental benefits, being three times stronger and a third lighter than structural steel while using only a tenth of the energy to produce. This material choice further enhanced the project’s sustainability credentials through its minimal environmental impact, repairability, and potential as a biofuel at end-of-life.

Results

The partnership between 3ti and Wiltshire Council has delivered impressive results:

  • Solar arrays generating in excess of 20MWh of clean electricity per month
  • 100% of solar generation used on-site, contributing approximately 10% of the leisure centre’s overall electricity demand
  • Significant reduction in electricity costs for the council
  • Five Rivers became the first leisure centre in the UK to install 3ti’s Papilio3 solar EV charging hub
  • Steady increase in EV charge point usage by visitors over recent months
  • Measurable progress towards the council’s 2030 carbon neutrality goal
  • Council emissions reduced to 2,767 tCO2e in 2023/24, surpassing their target
  • Creation of a highly visible demonstration of sustainable technologies for the community

Councillor Tamara Reay, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Assets, highlighted the strategic benefits: “We are a forward-thinking innovative council, and we’re delighted to have worked with 3ti to collaborate on this exciting project, which supports our carbon commitments while saving money on our electricity bills.”

The Five Rivers installation serves as a powerful example of how local authorities can take meaningful action on climate change while providing enhanced services to their communities and achieving operational cost savings.

3ti partners with Wiltshire Council to deliver pioneering sustainable solar car park and EV charging infrastructure at Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury.

Background

Wiltshire Council has made a firm commitment to become a carbon neutral organisation by 2030. As part of this ambitious goal, the council sought innovative solutions to reduce carbon emissions while enhancing public services and infrastructure. Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre in Salisbury, as one of the council’s flagship leisure facilities, was identified as an ideal location to demonstrate leadership in sustainable energy solutions.

The council aimed to implement renewable energy generation that would both reduce operational costs and showcase their commitment to environmental stewardship. Additionally, they recognised the growing need for EV charging infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles within their community.

Challenge

Wiltshire Council faced several key challenges in implementing their sustainability vision:

  • Reducing carbon emissions from council-owned buildings while maintaining service delivery
  • Balancing upfront investment in renewable infrastructure with long-term cost savings
  • Selecting construction materials and methods that would minimise environmental impact
  • Meeting the increasing demand for EV charging facilities in public spaces
  • Creating a visible demonstration of their commitment to sustainability
  • Delivering measurable results towards their 2030 carbon neutrality goal

The council needed a partner with expertise in solar energy and EV charging solutions who could deliver a comprehensive and innovative approach to these challenges.

Our Approach

3ti Energy Hubs worked closely with Wiltshire Council to design and implement a multi-faceted renewable energy solution at Five Rivers Health and Wellbeing Centre:

  • Construction of three gullwing solar canopies covering 70 car park spaces with a combined capacity of approximately 220 kWp
  • Use of sustainable Glulam timber beams (renewable, recyclable wood laminations) as an environmentally friendly alternative to steel or concrete
  • Installation of Glass-Glass solar panels for optimum energy generation
  • Deployment of 3ti’s award-winning Papilio3 solar EV charging hub to provide reliable, fast, and safe EV charging for visitors and staff
  • Smart energy management systems to maximise on-site use of generated electricity

The use of Glulam timber provided significant environmental benefits, being three times stronger and a third lighter than structural steel while using only a tenth of the energy to produce. This material choice further enhanced the project’s sustainability credentials through its minimal environmental impact, repairability, and potential as a biofuel at end-of-life.

Results

The partnership between 3ti and Wiltshire Council has delivered impressive results:

  • Solar arrays generating in excess of 20MWh of clean electricity per month
  • 100% of solar generation used on-site, contributing approximately 10% of the leisure centre’s overall electricity demand
  • Significant reduction in electricity costs for the council
  • Five Rivers became the first leisure centre in the UK to install 3ti’s Papilio3 solar EV charging hub
  • Steady increase in EV charge point usage by visitors over recent months
  • Measurable progress towards the council’s 2030 carbon neutrality goal
  • Council emissions reduced to 2,767 tCO2e in 2023/24, surpassing their target
  • Creation of a highly visible demonstration of sustainable technologies for the community

 

Councillor Tamara Reay, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Assets, highlighted the strategic benefits: “We are a forward-thinking innovative council, and we’re delighted to have worked with 3ti to collaborate on this exciting project, which supports our carbon commitments while saving money on our electricity bills.”

The Five Rivers installation serves as a powerful example of how local authorities can take meaningful action on climate change while providing enhanced services to their communities and achieving operational cost savings.

Related Projects

Surrey County Council

SCC’s growing electric vehicle fleet will be powered by Papilio3, supporting the council’s sustainability strategy. The solution was chosen to fulfill the urgent need for EV charging infrastructure at the site.

Merseyside Police

“The force’s target is to be Net Zero for all scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040, and it is hoped exploring the use of technology such as this – which uses solar panels on its roof – will help us achieve that.”

Keith Dickinson - Director of Resources Merseyside Police