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Scottish Capital Considering Solar Panels On Council Buildings

Councillor Andrew Burns, who is the leader of The City of Edinburgh Council, has announced that the council would like to see solar panels being installed on the roofs of a number of council buildings as part of a co-operative scheme. The solar panels will be capable of generating funds that can be used elsewhere within the council’s budget.

Edinburgh City Centre

There are many councils in the UK that have invested in solar photovoltaic panels siting the panels on the roofs of local council buildings such as libraries, offices etc. so this is not something that is entirely new. In the current economic climate there are many councils that are looking for ways to increase their income stream.

However, solar panels not only do this but they also help local councils and the country reduce their carbon emissions thus going some way towards meeting their renewable energy and carbon emission targets.

Although a definitive list has not been produced, it is believed that about 25 buildings owned by the council in Edinburgh could have solar panels installed. These could include libraries, schools and community centres. There could also be electric car charging points.

Apparently, the scheme could be driven forward by a co-operative of several shareholders. Once they have obtained their return on their investment any other profit that is made from selling electricity back to the national grid could be used to help fund other council led projects such as playgrounds thus reducing the financial burden on the council.

Interestingly, the council is looking to save in the region of £35 million spread over the following 4 years so a scheme like this may help towards this figure. It will be interesting to see how things progress and if so how quickly solar panels will start appearing on a number of council buildings. One would have thought the sooner the better but what are our readers’ thoughts?

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