Trina Solar announced the completed installation of a new photovoltaic system at the headquarters of the Lotus F1 Team in Enstone, Oxfordshire, England. The rooftop system provides clean solar energy for the new Lotus F1 Team simulator. Installation was completed in under two days and way ahead of schedule thanks to the Trinamount system, a quick and easy mounting solution.
Trina Solar’s cooperation with the Lotus F1 Team is a partnership of like minded companies, both in pursuit of innovation, teamwork, speed and high performance. “We have been working with Lotus F1 Team for nearly three years now and this latest deployment of our technology is the next step in the team’s drive towards renewably sourced energy,” said Ben Hill, Head of Trina Solar Europe. Module installation, which would otherwise take about five days, was in fact completed in less than two days thanks to the innovative Trinamount system. The Trinamount drop-in mounting solution eliminates the use of long rails and reduces the number of parts needed, thus significantly bringing down installation time and cost. “This deployment represents the synergy of innovation and speed for both companies,” added Hill.
The installation is capable of producing some 33,000 kWh of electricity over the course of a year, thus mitigating against the team’s overall carbon footprint at the rural Oxfordshire site. The power output covers about three quarters of the simulator’s energy needs. The new centre is equipped with cutting-edge technology and allows the Lotus F1 Team to reproduce lifelike driving conditions for research and optimisation without putting a real car on a racetrack.
Eric Boullier, Lotus F1 Team Principal commented: “This installation of a Trina Solar PV system reflects our continued commitment to renewable energy. Enstone is a Local Wildlife Site due to the value and botanical interest in the unimproved limestone grassland that is included on the site; in addition we are also a site of natural landscape significance due to the flora and fauna. The PV array powered by Trina Solar provides significant energy generation that fits our surrounding environment. Both the Lotus F1 Team and Trina Solar not only showcase the important role renewable energy can play within an organisation, but also how it will play a greater role in the future within the wider Formula 1 industry, and the entire world as well,” finished Boullier.
