ST SILAS CHURCH

PENTONVILLE

The need for urgent repairs to the roof of St Silas church in Pentonville was the catalyst for an imaginative project by the parish to reduce their carbon footprint by incorporating a large photovoltaic (PV) array.  The project was made possible with a 50% grant towards the £130K cost of the PV installation from the government’s Low carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP), administered by Islington Council’s Climate Change Fund. 

The project was supported by the London Borough of Islington, which has pioneered the programme for setting carbon reduction targets within the Anglican Church.  The new PV installation is projected to generate 12,300 kilowatt/hours or 47% of the church’s electricity requirements, with any surplus power sold back to the National Grid.  

The PV array has been integrated into the south facing nave roof using Nu-Lok’s innovative tile carrier system.  This can accommodate the natural slate roof and PV panels with the same pitch between courses.  The correspondence between the scale and specially chosen colour of the PV panels and the slate contribute greatly to a harmonious appearance.