In recent years, a number of councils around the UK have installed solar panels on many of their council buildings including council offices and libraries. This is undoubtedly seen as a way of cutting energy bills but also as a way of helping achieve renewable energy and carbon emission targets.
No doubt with this in mind, the Conservative led Leicestershire County Council, who spend in the region of £1.5 million on energy each year, intend to install solar panels on County Hall that is their headquarters. Six hundred solar photovoltaic panels are to be mounted on the roof that covers an area amounting to about 1,400 square metres.
The installation is to take place in three phases and forms part of an energy saving package amounting to £1 million. It has been estimated that the collective financial impact of energy being sold to the National Grid as well as energy bills being cut is worth in the region of £400,000 per annum that, by anyone’s estimation, is a significant sum.
The council will also be looking to introduce other energy saving measures such as improving lighting and windows. Of course, many businesses provide staff with guidelines on ways that they can save energy such as turning lights off when they leave an empty room and making sure that their computers and printers are switched off prior to leaving the office at the end of the working day.
It is estimated that in excess of 400 tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved by the council’s measures on an annual basis. There is a possibility that some of Leicestershire County Council’s other buildings could have solar panels installed such as Coalville Library.
We would appreciate being informed of any interesting solar panel projects that have either been installed or are going to be so that we can report on them.
