Work begins on solar panels for City Council buildings
Work has begun on the installation of solar panels on Exeter City Council's buildings.
The 800 panels, which are currently being put up on two roofs of the Civic Centre and three other sites across Exeter, will have a capacity of about 200 kilowatts – that’s the equivalent of 50 standard domestic solar photovoltaic systems!
The panels, which are being installed by Exeter renewable energy specialist SunGift Solar, will deliver an on-going reduction in the Council's energy costs as well as reducing its carbon footprint. The other buildings benefitting from the 'green' initiative are Oakwood House, the Materials Reclamation Facility and the Ark - the Royal Albert Memorial Museum's storage facility.
Together, the solar PV systems on the four buildings will generate approximately 184,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year - enough to power the equivalent of 53 houses - saving over 97 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Installing the panels now is a good time because it enables the Council to make the most of the government's attractive Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme. The scheme pays people and organisations an index-linked amount for the renewable energy they generate. In addition, the energy that the solar PV arrays produce can be used in the Council’s buildings, helping reduce its electricity bills.
Cllr Ian Martin, Lead Councillor for Business transformation and Human Resources, said: "Installing solar panels on our buildings is an attractive proposition with significant financial returns. This really is a good time to benefit from solar energy and at the same time restamp our green credentials and commitment to renewable energy."
Gareth Walton, SunGift’s business development manager, said: "We’re excited to work on another large commercial project in our home city, following on from our recent 250 kWp solar PV installation at the Met Office. The Civic Centre in particular had issues to overcome due to numerous shaded areas, which had the potential to reduce the output of the systems, but we were able to resolve these issues through clever design and by specifying high-tech ‘Solar Edge’ equipment that will improve the system’s energy yield."
Because of the much better returns generated from solar PV panels and the current attractive FIT, three wind turbines have been removed from the Civic Centre roof.
The City Council is donating the turbines to a local initiative that will help teach local school children about the importance of sustainability.
The wind turbines will go to a partnership between Granted Consultancy Ltd, a renewable energy consultancy based in Exmouth, Highfield Farm in Topsham and several local schools.
Highfield Farm already runs an open door policy where Ian Shears, the farm's owner, teaches school children from the area about alternative energy solutions such as solar, rainwater harvesting and woodchip boilers. The wind turbines will be used to deliver project work around science, technology and maths and is aimed at helping children understand the potential for careers and the importance of renewables in the south west.
Jonathan Davis, Director of Granted Consultancy, said: “We want to help the next generation understand and appreciate clean energy and the potential for careers in the green sector. We are working with Ian and several schools to develop projects around the turbines, how they work and what they deliver in terms of electrical output.
"We are really excited about the donation from Exeter City Council as this will provide an excellent teaching aid and will certainly help capture the imagination of young people."
The solar PV systems on the Civic Centre are due to be completed within the next two weeks, and work on the other buildings is due to be finished by April.
