LHW have been invited to join the revitalised MCS Wind technical workgroup.  Small scale wind has suffered due to planning difficulties, but with elevating energy prices, the need to get more energy in winter periods and the synergy with PV needs to make a comeback. With 30 years of onshore wind experience at all scale LHW can help and evolve the technical approval standards

Following on from desktop work previously undertaken, site investigation and survey work was  undertaken on 25 water supply, reservoir, and water treatment works in the Kent, Sussex and Hampshire areas for the adoption of solar PV and wind technology to offset site imported energy. 

In 2020 and 2021 LHW have been investigating a number of PV farms at Southwick in Wiltshire, Ardleigh in Essex, Falmouth in Cornwall, and a number of other locations, to determine reasons for possible performance anomalies. Conclusive evidence was found by field testing avoiding need for expensive mobile laboratory or Test Lab review.

In a UK (and very likely geographically wider) first, LHW undertook a full toolbox of field testing to successfully get to the root cause of an underperforming PV system. The testing included Electrcroluminescence, Photoluminescence, UV Fluorescence, IV Curve, IR Thermography, Module Shunt resistance and  Module string series resistance testing.   This full service approach requires a suite of good test equipment and associated operational and analytical competence, but is the only approach to provide the appropriate technical service level to provide the confidence to identify the issue.

LHW has been appointed to update and harmonise the document published by the Fire Protection Association and RISC Authority - "RC62 Recommendations for fire safety with photovoltaic panel installations" 

As probably one of the more focused field specialist engineering organisation in UK with focus on engineerng grade forensic review of asset, LHW have been busy again undertaking inspection and testng on PV farms  and roof top sytems. The image aboe is a 15MWp installation near Reading.