A Winning Partnership: Delivering Solar Power for Ilkley Cricket Club
About the Club
Ilkley Cricket Club is a long-established community sports club based in the heart of Ilkley, providing local cricket for over 175 years!
The club provides opportunities for players of all ages and abilities to participate in cricket, from junior development programmes through to senior men's, women's and league teams, helping to nurture talent and promote participation across the local community.
As well as being a sporting venue, the club plays an important social role within the local community, hosting fixtures, training sessions and social events throughout the cricket season.
Key Details
The Challenge
Like many grassroots sports clubs, Ilkley Cricket Club relies heavily on membership fees, fundraising, sponsorship and volunteer support to maintain and operate its facilities.
The clubhouse and associated facilities require a consistent supply of electricity for changing rooms and showers, clubhouse lighting and social areas, kitchen and bar facilities, scoreboards, ground maintenance equipment and match-day operations. The club had also set its sights on purchasing a new electric "solar roller" to help prepare and maintain high-quality playing surfaces, further increasing its future electricity requirements.
With rising energy costs across the UK, the club has faced increasing pressure on its operating budget. Higher electricity bills reduce the funds available for coaching, equipment, pitch improvements, women's and girls' cricket programmes, and youth development initiatives. Finding a way to generate its own renewable energy would help protect the club from future energy price increases while supporting its ongoing investment in facilities and player development.
The Opportunity
To improve long-term financial sustainability, the club explored ways to reduce its reliance on grid electricity. Solar energy presented an opportunity to:
Lower ongoing running costs
Improve energy independence
Reinvest savings into facilities and player development
Support the club’s wider sustainability goals
As a community-focused organisation, any reduction in overheads directly benefits players, members and the wider local community.
The Solution
P4 Solar is a well known and trusted solar installer with a great reputation in Ilkley due to its many commercial, community and residential installations successfully completed in the town.
Following an initial consultation and site assessment with P4, a tailored solar PV solution was developed for the clubhouse. The system was designed to:
Maximise available roof space for generation
Offset daytime electricity usage from clubhouse operations
Deliver strong long-term financial savings
Provide a reliable return on investment for the club
The proposed system will help reduce dependence on rising grid electricity prices while supporting the club’s long-term commitment to grassroots sport in Ilkley.
The system we implemented:
34 x DMEGC 455W All Black Mono Solar Panel
ESDEC Concrete Tile Mounting
Bird Proofing
1 x SolaX X3 G4 8kW hybrid inverter
34 x Tigo Optimizers to Mitigate Shade
2 x SolaX TP58 5.8 kWh Battery Storage Units
As part of the project, we were also delighted to support the club’s wider fundraising efforts by contributing towards their target of purchasing a new “solar roller.” This is an electric pitch roller used by the groundskeepers to compact, flatten and harden the cricket square. It plays an essential role in preparing a high-quality playing surface, ensuring a smooth, durable wicket with consistent bounce and pace throughout matches.
Results & Outcomes
The solar installation has provided Ilkley Cricket Club with a long-term solution to rising energy costs, helping secure the financial sustainability of the club for years to come.
With an estimated annual generation of 12,964 kWh, the system will significantly reduce the club's reliance on grid electricity, supplying clean renewable energy to power the clubhouse, changing rooms, kitchen facilities, lighting and day-to-day operations.
The addition of battery storage allows excess solar energy generated during the day to be stored and used later, helping the club maximise its self-consumption and further reduce energy costs during evenings and peak usage periods.
Perhaps most importantly, every pound saved on energy bills can be reinvested into the club's future—supporting coaching programmes, youth development, facility improvements and community initiatives that benefit players, members and local residents alike.
Customer Testimonial
“As a Yorkshire-based company, working with P4 Solar was an easy choice. Their partnership with Ilkley Cricket Club has helped reduce the club’s operating costs through the installation of a high-quality solar system that will support the club for many years to come.
From the outset, P4 Solar worked closely with us to develop a strategic local partnership and delivered the installation to an excellent standard. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and ongoing support have been outstanding.
What sets P4 Solar apart is their continued commitment to both Ilkley Cricket Club and the wider local community. They have remained invested beyond the installation itself, demonstrating a genuine desire to make a positive long-term impact. We would highly recommend P4 Solar to any organisation looking for a trusted and community-focused renewable energy partner”.
Rory Kroon, Committee Member, Ilkley Cricket Club
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