Lombard Shipping is projecting savings of 1 million over the 20-year lifetime of a new clean energy ecosystem for commercial and industrial (C&I) applications at its flagship logistics hub in Ipswich.
Supplied by SolarEdge, the system integrates rooftop solar, battery storage and EV charging infrastructure, and is projected to generate around 118MWh of electricity each year, with a payback period of roughly 5.3 years.
Strategically located near the Port of Felixstowe, the Ipswich site is home to Lombard Shipping's headquarters and is the largest of the company's five sites. As part of its long-term decarbonisation strategy, the company recently added two electric HGVs to its fleet. While these vehicles represent a significant step toward reducing transport emissions, they have also increased energy demand at the Ipswich site, prompting Lombard Shipping to take decisive action.
Peter Fraser, Director at Lombard Shipping, says: "Rising energy demand across our operations made it essential for us to take a more strategic approach to managing our power use. With our EV chargers alone consuming around 7MWh of electricity each month, we needed a solution that could maximise clean energy generation on site and ensure it is used as efficiently as possible, and this system delivers exactly that."
To meet Lombard Shipping's energy requirements, installation partner Insight Energy deployed a complete SolarEdge ecosystem comprising DC-optimised solar inverters, on-site energy storage and six EV chargers. The system is managed via the SolarEdge ONE for C&I energy optimisation platform and its on-site gateway, the SolarEdge ONE Controller, enabling intelligent coordination of solar generation, energy storage and EV charging across the site. This integrated approach is expected to enable Lombard Shipping to use around 83% of the solar energy it produces, maximising both the financial and environmental benefits of its investment.
Lombard Shipping is targeting a 50% energy consumption reduction with the installation of a 226 panel solar array. Image credit: Farlie Photography.
On the roof, 226 solar panels fitted with SolarEdge Power Optimizers maximise generation by allowing each pair of panels to operate independently, reducing losses from shading, soiling and module mismatch that are common in conventional non-optimised systems. Their output is managed by two 50kW SolarEdge DC-optimised Synergy inverters, which support system oversizing of up to 175% to enable greater energy capture during peak production periods.
By leveraging SolarEdge's unified technology platform, we have delivered a smart, scalable clean energy solution that enables Lombard Shipping to use almost all of the energy generated on site...
The installation also includes a 102.4kWh SolarEdge CSS-OD commercial battery, which stores excess energy for use during periods of peak demand or high grid prices. It is managed by the SolarEdge ONE for C&I platform, which continuously monitors and optimises the battery's performance using dynamic algorithms that analyse real-time data and user preferences to maximise on-site energy use.
SolarEdge 102.4kWh SolarEdge CSS-OD commercial battery. Image credit: Farlie Photography.
The battery's modular design also allows for future scalability, giving Lombard Shipping the opportunity to expand storage capacity as its operation grows. Peace of mind is provided by a suite of robust safety features and system-wide cybersecurity protections delivered through the SolarEdge ONE Controller, which serves as a single, secure gateway for inspecting and analysing system communications to prevent unauthorised access.
The logistics provider recently added two electric HGVs to its fleet. Image credit: Farlie Photography.
Excess solar energy can also be used to power the company's newly installed bank of six SolarEdge EV chargers, all intelligently controlled by EV management capabilities within the SolarEdge ONE for C&I platform. This includes coordinating fleet charging using customer-defined schedules, solar forecasts and real-time electricity prices to determine the most cost-effective energy source to charge the EV fleet at any given time - whether from solar, battery, or grid. It also supports tiered charging modes, allowing priority vehicles, such as the eHGVs, to access grid energy when needed, while non-priority vehicles, such as staff vehicles, are charged only with surplus solar energy.
Kristian Day, Managing Director at Insight Energy, comments: "By leveraging SolarEdge's unified technology platform, we have delivered a smart, scalable clean energy solution that enables Lombard Shipping to use almost all of the energy generated on site, which is a key factor in achieving a rapid return on investment."
