Work starts on outdoor lighting at The Wave with support from Good Energy
Catching waves after dark will soon become a reality for Bristol's surfers, as work starts this week on new outdoor lighting at The Wave. The ‘slice of the ocean' received planning permission last year to install directional lights over the surfing lake, which will enable evening sessions to take place when daylight hours shorten. The construction work is expected to be completed by the end of June.
The installation is being supported by The Wave's official renewable energy partner Good Energy, which will power the lights. The businesses have just signed a long-term partnership agreement, building on their shared values and commitment to true sustainability.
The Wave's own solar array, that was installed last year, and which generates more electricity than the attraction uses annually and excess renewable power is fed back into the National Grid for other Good Energy customers to use. But as the lights will be in use when the sun goes down, they will mainly be powered by electricity from Good Energy's other generators. Good Energy's innovative approach to hourly-matching ensures that for as many hours of the day as possible, the electricity its customers use is matched to what its generators are producing — with wind, hydro and biogeneration covering night time gaps without solar.
Hazel Geary, CEO, The Wave, comments:
"Our planning permission allows us to operate from 7am to 9pm, but the reality is that for much of the year we can't run all of these sessions as we lose the daylight. We know there is demand for pre and post-work surfs and we would also love to be able to run more options for children after-school, particularly in the autumn months, but until now this hasn't been possible. Our impact work has also been constrained by the inability to work with some of these groups in the evenings. Being able to light the lake will open up opportunities for so many more people to learn to surf – and to progress on their surfing journey - throughout the year."
The work on the lighting starts on Monday 22 April and will see 4 lighting columns installed around the lake. These have been specially designed to direct light on all areas of the lake, whilst not impacting the wider area. The work is anticipated to take 2 months and it is hoped that the lighting will be ready to be used as daylight hours shorten from the end of August onwards.
Tom Parsons, sales and origination director, Good Energy said:
"Like Good Energy, The Wave is a brilliant example of a business that shows it is entirely possible to grow whilst staying truly sustainable. And expanding into night time surfing is an innovative and exciting way of doing exactly that.
"The Wave have shown their commitment to cutting their carbon by installing their own solar array and we're proud to supply their excess power to our other customers. But by using our world leading hourly matching technology we can ensure that when the sun goes down, their energy continues to come from clean sources. The Wave's customers can continue to surf after dark in the knowledge that the floodlights guiding their way are being powered by renewable power from some of our more than 2,000 generators across the UK.
"We look forward to working with the Wave over the long term to implement increasingly innovative sustainable solutions that helps them grow, minimise their energy use and continue to offer an unbelievable experience to their surfers."
Hazel adds:
"Although there may be some disruption whilst the construction work is being carried out, we will be open as usual and will be doing everything we can to minimise any impact on our visitors' experience during this time. We are working hard to carry out the installation as quickly and efficiently as possible, and just can't wait for our first night surfing sessions to launch!"