50kWp and 17kWp installed March 2019
Porthcurno Telegraph Museum is set in the beautiful coastal parish of St Levan on the Land’s End peninsular. The Telegraph Museum holds a designated collection of objects including the only complete working telegraph station left in the world. Visitors can explore: Eastern House, home to the World’s biggest telegraph station from the turn of the 20th Century; the Grade II listed Cable House where the global network of cables came ashore; and the secret World War Two tunnels, built to protect Britain’s vital communications hub from attack.
The museum is managed by the Portcurno collections trust (registered charity no.1062233) that have held a long term ambition to increase the sustainability of the museum through the reduction of energy costs whilst significantly decreasing their impact on the environment.
At the end of 2018 both planning and listed buildings consent were secured for a 50 KW and 17 kW PV scheme at Eastern House and the Wilshaw Building respectively. Community Power Cornwall provided the capital for the scheme whilst the museum benefits from a long term, low cost clean energy supply with all economic, environmental and social benefits of the scheme being retained in Cornwall. Without any capital outlay the museum is expected to save over £3,000/yr which will be reinvested in their charitable activities whilst saving over 18t CO2e/yr.
The museum and records centre receive a fixed electricity price for the green energy they consume from the Solar PV systems at a price currently 36% less than their standard electricity tariff. These benefits will be in place for the 20 year lifetime of the project. This will dramatically reduce the running costs for the buildings, enabling reinvestment in educational and environmental programmes, whilst increasing the future resilience and sustainability of this treasured heritage asset.
∗ Based on annual greenhouse gas reporting figures DECC/DEFRA