Case Study: Solar Power at Dyke Golf Club - Maintenance Shed & Clubhouse Roof

A two-phased solar partnership between BHESCo and Dyke Golf Club, delivered at zero upfront cost through community investment

Executive Summary

Dyke Golf Club partnered with BHESCo across two separate projects to replace a polluting diesel generator at their maintenance shed and cut energy costs at their clubhouse, introducing a 7.7kW off-grid solar and battery system on the maintenance shed and a 37kW in-roof array on the clubhouse itself.

Both projects were financed entirely by BHESCo’s network of community investors, meaning the club paid nothing upfront and started saving from day one. Together, the two installations have slashed carbon emissions, protected the club against volatile energy and fuel costs, and will deliver an estimated £195,000 in savings over the clubhouse agreement alone.

Maintenance Shed

Clubhouse

The Challenge

Golf clubs sit on some of the most demanding sites in the built environment: sprawling, exposed to the elements, and often only partially connected to mains infrastructure. Dyke Golf Club, perched on the South Downs above Brighton, faced two distinct energy challenges across its estate.

The Maintenance Shed

The greenkeepers’ equipment compound had no connection to the National Grid and relied entirely on an oil-powered generator to run water drainage pumps, an intruder alarm, heaters, floodlights and high-pressure cleaning equipment. As global oil markets grew more volatile, running costs climbed, and the generator’s carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and particulate emissions sat awkwardly alongside the club’s ambitions to operate more sustainably. An initial idea to exploit the site’s elevation and strong wind speeds for a small wind turbine was ruled out once the cost and complexity of planning permission became clear.

The Clubhouse

Years later, BHESCo returned to help the club tackle a much larger energy user: the clubhouse itself. This project brought a different set of hurdles. The roof needed re-covering regardless of any solar installation, so any solar solution had to work in tandem with re-roofing rather than compete with it. The site sits within the South Downs National Park, where planning sensitivities around visual impact are high. And because the clubhouse remains a fully operational, member-facing building throughout, any installation had to minimise disruption to daily play and club business.

BHESCo's Solutions

Both phases were financed entirely by BHESCo’s network of community investors (people who want their money to tackle climate change) so Dyke Golf Club faced no upfront capital cost for either project. In Phase 1 (Maintenance Shed), the equipment was funded through BHESCo’s Pay-As-You-Save model, with the club repaying the investment over an agreed 20-year lease from a share of the savings generated. Phase 2 (The Clubhouse) followed the same investor-backed approach, allowing the club to move straight to construction without diverting funds from course maintenance or member services.

The Maintenance Shed

BHESCo’s survey identified solar as an ideal fit for an off-gas-grid building with a strong south-facing roof. The team designed and project managed the installation of a 7.7kW rooftop solar array paired with battery storage, so the shed could keep running through cloudy spells without falling back on the generator. LED lighting throughout the compound cut baseline demand, meaning the solar and battery system had less to cover in the first place, a simple but effective way of shrinking the problem before engineering the solution.

The Clubhouse

For the clubhouse, BHESCo appointed Energy Creation Experts Ltd, an Angmering-based, MCS-accredited installer, to fit a 37kW in-roof solar system: 90 panels sitting flush with the roof tiles rather than mounted above them. This in-roof design solved two problems at once. Aesthetically, the panels sit neatly within the roofline rather than standing proud of it; an important consideration for planners and members alike on a South Downs National Park site. Functionally, flush panels remove the gap where birds can nest and damage cabling, a common maintenance headache with standard mounted arrays.

Because the roof needed re-covering anyway, BHESCo’s team coordinated the solar installation with a full re-tile of the two affected roof sections, increasing the overlap between tile rows to reduce the risk of wind-driven rain penetration. A structural engineer assessed the roof’s capacity to carry the revised design and checked wind uplift forces, ensuring the structure could safely support the panels in exposed Downland conditions. The installation was completed in around two-and-a-half weeks, with scaffolding kept in place afterwards to monitor for leaks before sign-off.

To avoid a lengthy planning process, BHESCo positioned the array within the setback distances required for permitted development and confirmed the approach directly with South Downs National Park’s planning team, securing a straightforward, low-friction route to installation. The system pairs panel-level power optimisers with a 33kW SolarEdge inverter, giving BHESCo’s team remote, panel-by-panel visibility of performance so faults can be pinpointed quickly and without the need for an on-site inspection.

Results & Impact

The Maintenance Shed

7.7kW rooftop solar array installed, paired with battery storage for resilience during low-sun periods
LED lighting upgrade reduced baseline electricity demand across the compound
Diesel generator use, and its associated fuel costs and emissions, significantly reduced
Financed with zero upfront cost via BHESCo's Pay-As-You-Save model, repaid over 20 years from bill savings

The Clubhouse

90 in-roof solar panels installed, delivering 37kW peak power output
33kW SolarEdge inverter with panel-level power optimisers for maximum yield and remote fault diagnosis
Estimated CO₂ savings of around 6.8 tonnes per year, equivalent to taking three cars off the road or planting 116 trees
Projected club savings of approximately £195,000 over the life of the agreement
Installation completed in roughly 2.5 weeks, with post-installation leak monitoring included
Delivered as permitted development, avoiding a full planning application
Two-year workmanship warranty, with annual electrical inspections and remote performance monitoring included

“We’re delighted with our new solar panel system The solar panels have reduced our energy costs significantly whilst providing a valuable resource of electricity. BHESCo provided a first class service”

Martin Yeats,

Dyke Golf Club Secretary

Following the success of both phases, BHESCo is now working with other golf clubs across the region (including further sites within the South Downs National Park) to replicate this model of community-financed, engineering-led solar delivery.

Thinking about solar for your golf club?

BHESCo’s community-financed model means no upfront cost, a fully managed installation, and ongoing remote monitoring for total peace of mind.

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