As one of the oldest surfclubs in Perranporth surf club has been saving lives on the beach since 1957.
To increase sustainability and reduce carbon we plan to install solar panels on the club, aiming to meet 80% of our electricity needs. Seasonal use of the Clubhouse means we're perfected suited to make the most of the Cornish summer sunshine - as we'll generate the most electricity when we need it most.
Installing solar panels will reduce our annual electricity costs, supporting members, lifeguards and providing renewable energy to the RNLI guardroom on site.
Crowdfunding the solar panels allows us to access other funds to add into our fund. We have been in discussion with Cornwall Council who are looking at supporting this project as part of their work supporting communities reach net zero by 2030, and installing renewable energy in the county.
We need your support these capital costs of Phase 1 of this project, to install solar panels and be generating electricity on the beach by this summer 2023.
And if we can be successful our stretch target for Phase 2 will be to remove the failing gas boiler, upgrade the hot water system removing the clubhouse reliance on fossil fuels, and further reducing our operating costs.
In the long term all these measures will help reduce our energy costs and improve the operation of the clubhouse, meaning we can focus more of our efforts on future activities for the community - supporting health and wellbeing, developing life saving skills and awareness of the beach coastal environment.
About the Solar Panels and the installation
Perranporth Surfclub is a very exposed location, and any panels will need to be able to withstand strong winds, salty marine air and relentless sandblasting.
We have therefore worked with Onshore Solar, Perranporths local solar installer to specify high grade panels, able to withstand these most exposed conditions, and still deliver high efficiency.
As anyone who has ever seen the sunset over the waves, Perranporth Beach and clubhouse faces west. Consequently, the roof is ideally orientated for a dual array, generating electricity all morning from the east dune facing roof, with afternoon and evening sun collected on the west sea facing aspect.
Overall we're aiming to install panels that will generate around 4000kwh of electricity a year, which is around the total consumption of the club each year.