The Hive Leisure Centre in Ely is owned by East Cambridgeshire District Council and operated by Better. With an eight-lane swimming pool, teaching pool, gym, sports hall, fitness studios and floodlit 3G football pitch, the centre supports a busy programme of community activity and has consistently high electricity demand throughout the day.

To reduce pressure on operating budgets and support its wider carbon reduction goals, the Council wanted to generate more of the centre’s electricity on site. The project also had to be delivered without disrupting bookings or limiting public access.

SGS Energy designed and installed a 100.32 kWp rooftop solar PV system, carefully coordinating access, installation and commissioning around the centre’s operating schedule. This allowed the facility to remain fully open throughout the works, with the project completed in just two weeks.

That careful delivery has been matched by strong performance. Since commissioning, the system has generated 152.804 MWh of renewable electricity, according to the Solis monitoring platform, demonstrating the value of a solar PV system designed around both the building’s energy needs and the realities of a live public facility.

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Key wins

• Strong lifetime generation: The system has generated 152.804 MWh of renewable electricity since commissioning.
• Delivered below budget: The completed project cost £67,276.44, saving more than £32,000 against the Council’s allocated budget.
• Zero disruption: The leisure centre remained open throughout the installation, with planned power-downs completed overnight.
• Fast project delivery: Installation and commissioning were completed within two weeks.
• Attractive financial projection: The original model estimated first-year bill savings of £21,812.97, an 18.3% bill offset and a simple payback period of approximately 3.1 years.
• Community impact: SGS Energy supported Better’s Renewable Energy Day, helping promote sustainability across the local community.

Testimonial

"SGS Energy was fantastic to work with from start to finish. They took the time to understand how busy our centre is and planned everything around our schedule, even carrying out work overnight so visitors were never affected. They handled the permitted development application, arranged all access, and kept us fully updated throughout, which made the whole process feel easy on our side.

The installation was completed quickly, safely, and well under budget, and the system has already started delivering strong results. We’re proud to take this step towards using more renewable energy, and SGS Energy made it a smooth and positive experience for our team and our community."

Could your site cut energy costs without putting daily operations on hold?

This installation at the Hive demonstrates what's possible when solar delivery is shaped around the realities of a live public building. SGS Energy completed the project in two weeks, kept the centre open throughout and delivered the system more than £32,000 under budget. The result is already producing substantial renewable electricity for one of the Council’s busiest community facilities.

Managing a high-energy site where disruption isn't an option? Talk to SGS Energy about a solar project planned around your site constraints and commercial goals.