14 DAY TRIAL // Set to comprise over 4,400 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, the new Blackfriars bridge spanning the River Thames in London is to become the world’s largest construction of this kind.
Construction began yesterday, October 4, on the former Victorian bridge, which is also being upgraded to cater for more passengers and an improved train service.
According to Network Rail, once the work is complete, up to 24 trains per hour will be able to run on the central London section of the route.
"We're creating a spacious, modern station and delivering a vastly improved train service for passengers, while at the same time installing London's largest solar array to make Blackfriars more environmentally-friendly and sustainable", explained Blackfriars project director at Network Rail, Lindsay Vamplew.
"The Victorian rail bridge at Blackfriars is part of our railway history. Constructed in the age of Steam, we're bringing it bang up to date with twenty first century solar technology to create an iconic station for the city."
"It's fantastic to see this project finally come to fruition", Solarcentury's CEO, Derry Newman, added. "Blackfriars Bridge is an ideal location for solar; a new, iconic large roof space, right in the heart of London. For people to see that solar power is working is a vital step towards a clean energy future."
The solar panels will generate an estimated 900,000kWh of electricity every year, providing 50% of the station’s energy and reducing CO2 emissions by an estimated 511 tons per year.
In addition to solar panels, other energy saving measures at the new station will include rain harvesting systems and sun pipes for natural lighting.
The company behind the solar engineering and installation is London-based Solarcentury, which worked with engineers Jacobs to incorporate solar PV into the station design. The high-efficiency solar modules used are manufactured by SANYO Electric Co. Ltd.