As the first employee at Geo Green Power when the business was founded in 2010 Kitty Cunningham has played a key role in the growth and success of the UK’s leading renewable energy installers. Kitty spoke to FMBD about how Geo Green Power approaches solar PV installations in terms of prioritising safety, minimising disruption and delivering a system that’s effective and reliable.
Due to the predicted energy savings most FMs will feel very positive about solar PV, but perhaps a little apprehensive of the install process, how do you accommodate concerns around your installs?
My team includes technical design, planning & permissions and install operations, and these departments start working on a project as soon as we get the go ahead to ensure everything goes smoothly. We begin applying for connection agreements and any other permissions we might need, and experienced design engineers attend site to carry out a thorough pre-installation survey of your roof, access points and the existing electrical installation.
This first stage is when we get to know the property and meet key people on site to understand day-to-day operations, specific safety requirements and ensure that our installation is seamless.
With any form of construction works on site FMs are likely to want assurances about Health & Safety, how does Geo Green Power approach this?
Health & Safety is paramount, and over the last 15 years I’ve been proud of the continuous improvements that we’ve made in this area, always going above and beyond to deliver best practice. The accreditations we hold reflect our robust approach to health & safety, quality and high levels of training. We have been MCS approved since 2010, this year we upgraded our CHAS accreditation to CHAS Elite and we hold ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Every member of our site team is first aid trained, holds a CSCS card and is fully qualified for their role. We complete regular CPD with manufacturers and external training providers and invest heavily in ensuring we have the right equipment such as world leading Hilti tools.
Our proposals always include costs for comprehensive scaffold and access equipment to ensure the safety of our team, the public and our customer’s staff. A full plan of our installation and RAMS are provided before we start, where we incorporate any onsite induction processes and include the bespoke health & safety paperwork to meet customer requirements as needed.
Once a solar PV installation is commissioned and handed over, how do FMs ensure that it generates as it should?
A well installed solar PV system, using good quality equipment, requires very little regular maintenance, and that’s what we deliver for our customers every time. Arranging an annual check on system performance, including electrical testing and assessing whether panels require cleaning is often the only action FMs need to take. Geo Green Power has an inhouse O&M team, and provides full service and maintenance support for all our installations, as well as legacy systems. In addition, we can monitor your system and provide monthly reports to ensure your generation is in line with expectations and alert you to any emerging issue.
With ongoing service, maintenance and monitoring front of mind, during the design process we ensure that all equipment such as panel boards and inverters are easy to access and that walkways are left around panels. If customers require roof access for other equipment we can also coordinate the of install permanent edge protection, sky light covers or man safes whilst on your roof as part of our installation.
If you’re an FM interested in working with Geo Green Power on a solar PV installation contact info@geogreenpower.com or call 01509 880 199.
