Hibernia Reit’s drive to make the properties within its portfolio more environmentally-friendly continues with the recent installation of 44 solar panels to the roof of 1 Windmill Lane (1WML) in Dublin’s south docklands.
The addition of the photovoltaic (PV) system is expected to reduce the lighting bill at 1WML by up to 50 per cent over its 25-year life cycle – based on typical office hours of 8am to 6pm. On a day-to-day basis, the system will generate sufficient power at peak condition to offset all the energy used to light the communal areas of the 1WML office building.
Notably, the CO2 displaced by the PV system over its lifetime is equivalent to saving 2,000 trees, or the entire floor area of 1WML being planted as a forest.
The decision to install the solar panel system followed consideration by the members of Hibernia Reit’s dedicated sustainability committee, whose efforts are overseen by the company’s board of directors.
The PV system was installed by the Fermanagh-based Eco Systems Direct with panels supplied by Kingspan. The project was overseen by design firm BDP.
The Government’s recently-announced Climate Action Plan to Tackle Climate Breakdown includes measures to generate electricity from renewable sources such as the solar panels now operational at 1WML.
Hibernia Reit intends to install similar systems across its wider Grade A office portfolio.
