Photon Energy has commissioned a 76.5kWp rooftop solar system for the £21 million HS2 training college in Doncaster.

The project is a continuation of the installer’s relationship with construction giant Wilmott Dixon, who built the National College for High Speed Rail campuses in Birmingham and Doncaster to provide specialist training for engineers working on HS2 and other high speed rail projects in the UK.

Photon were appointed to install the solar array by building services contractor Briggs & Forrester earlier this year before completing the project in a tight timeframe to comply with the building’s development needs.

A total of 255 Bisol 300W panels comprise the system, with high efficiency modules purposefully selected to meet a specified energy target from the available south-facing roof space.

Combined with a small CHP system also installed at the site, the on-site generation will provide 16% of the building’s total energy demand and has contributed towards it achieving an outstanding BREEAM rating.

The project is one of six shortlisted for this year’s Solar Power Portal Awards Commercial Rooftop Solar installation category, alongside installations from EvoEnergy, Emtec Energy, Mypower and Joju Solar.

Duncan Brewer, engineering manager at Photon Energy, said: “This project highlighted Photon Energy’s ability to take on projects with significant health and safety challenges and satisfy the strict requirements of our clients and contractors.”