The Council

Friday, September 2 2011, 15:05 GMT

Secretary of State opens Council’s solar energy scheme

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Eastleigh MP Rt. Hon. Chris Huhne today officially opened the Council’s new Solar Energy Scheme at Fleming Park Leisure Centre.

The Council has installed 288 Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels on the roof of the leisure centre to generate electricity and reduce carbon emissions. PV solar power is amongst the fastest growing renewable energy source in the UK, thanks in part to Government subsidies or Feed in Tariff (FITs) that are currently available.

The Council is taking advantage of this Government backed FIT scheme which was introduced in April 2010. The scheme is set to pay tariff payments for 25 years following installation.  A key benefit of the scheme will be the generation of new income from both the Feed in Tariff and through the sale of any surplus electricity back to the national grid providing the Council with an annual income.

The 288 solar panels were installed on the leisure centre roof at a cost of around £185,000 and they are set to generate over 62,000 kWh per year that equates to around £23,000 - £25,000 of income to the Council per year.  The average home uses around 3,300 kWh’s per year so the scheme is expected to generate enough to power around 18 homes for a year.  By producing energy in this renewable form the scheme will avoid producing around 34,000 kg of CO2 per year which is equivalent to an average car travelling around 102,000 miles.

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne said, “The Government is committed to producing solar energy.  This is a good example of a scheme that will generate electricity from a renewable source that is great for the environment, the borough and the country.  It will also provide the Council with a significant income stream and help reduce their CO2 emissions.”

Cabinet Lead for the Environment Cllr Louise Bloom “The Council has an excellent track record of leading on climate change and this is a really great project that allows us to use one of our buildings to generate renewable energy and we now look to provide similar schemes on many of our other buildings and encourage other local organisations to follow our lead.  Since the scheme started on 30 July we have generated on average around 200 kWh of electricity per day – so in less than month we’ve already generated enough energy to power a house for a year”.

Justin Claxton of SSE Energy Solutions, the company that installed the solar panels, said: “It’s great to see a council such as Eastleigh installing this type of technology on such a high profile building.  With all roof top projects there are different challenges to overcome but our team of experts made sure the installation went really smoothly. We completed it in just over two weeks, working during the opening hours of the leisure centre, with no interruption to the centre’s operation, and no impact on the general public. We’ve also installed some displays in the café explaining how the solar panels work, so I hope people will read these while they relax after a workout!”

The Council will be looking for opportunities to work in partnership with neighbouring authorities and other public organisations to share knowledge, experience and provide support to other agencies wishing to embark on installing PV panels on, for instance, other community or public buildings. If you are a local business or organisation and would like to know more about how you could benefit from installing photovoltaic technology visit www.eastleigh.gov.uk/pvsolutions

Residents can also benefit from the Feed in Tariff – currently paying around 43p per kWh that the panels generate - for a guaranteed 25 years from installation.  This means that for an array of panels rated at 2.5 kWh, an income and savings of up to about £1000 per year could be expected.  Further information can be obtained via the Eastleigh website or the Energy Saving Trust website.

Council Leader Keith House, Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP and Justin Claxton of SSE among the 288 solar panels on the Fleming Park Leisure Centre roof.