Solar power planned for council buildings across Gloucestershire (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)
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Solar power planned for council buildings across Gloucestershire
3:00pm Wednesday 19th September 2012 in News
SOLAR panels could appear on schools, libraries and other public buildings across Gloucestershire.
Gloucestershire County Council has teamed up with green energy company BritishEco in a move it hopes will save the authority up to £6.5million in the next four years.
The partnership will see Solar Photovoltaic systems installed on the roofs of public sector buildings across Gloucestershire, including schools, libraries and council offices, with expectations that the panels could annually save up to £4,500 per building.
It would also reduce GCC's carbon emission by more than 9,000 tonnes a year.
Local jobs are also expected as a result of the move.
Solar systems placed on the roofs of libraries and schools will provide free electricity for lighting and computers, and money saved could be reinvested back into the school or service. Buildings taking part could get a share of the government’s feed in tariff too.
Chas Fellows, GCC's cabinet member for environment and economy, said it was a shrewd more in a time of economic hardship.
He added: "This scheme has the added benefit of producing green electricity and creating some local jobs.”
Up to 66 buildings will have an SV system installed this year with a wider roll-out planned over the next four years.
The partnership will also be available to other public sector organisations, including local authorities, NHS trusts and the emergency services.
Comments(8)
Olly Cromwell
says...
6:51pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Smythe
says...
8:41pm Fri 21 Sep 12
You are doing yourself a great disservice Lord Protector.
Olly Cromwell
says...
8:58pm Fri 21 Sep 12
David Broad
says...
10:10pm Fri 21 Sep 12
bobirving
says...
10:30am Sat 22 Sep 12
dopey1
says...
11:52am Sun 23 Sep 12
".......generating electricity where it is needed when it's needed......."
This is not a party political thing. You cannot change physics to suite your needs I'm afraid. King Canute tried and failed.
Solar PV panels do not generate electricity where it is needed necessarily, they generate electricity where the solar array is positioned.
Solar PV panels do not generate electricity when it is needed, they generate electricity when sufficient light is shining on them. i.e. not at night and not in the depths of winter when the country is covered with a think layer of cloud.
Consider this a free consultation. I will not invoice you for this information.
If the Lid Dems, or anyone else where to criticise, they would probably ask why this was not done when the government were paying really stupid money for each kW of electrical Solar energy produced. They have waited until the payment per kW can only be described as stupid and not really stupid.
David Broad
says...
3:35pm Sun 23 Sep 12
I by contrast ignore the propaganda and approach this from a pragmatic angle, why even the lights in my sons model raalway signal box are solar powere by an array on the roof!
The GTCC scheme seems like a genuine attempt at reducing CO2 emissions not necessarily a cash raising measure.
Government buildings have their peak electricity requirement during daylight hours when Solar PV is generating so the power is genuinely used.
Most domestic Solar PV just feeds into the Grid during the day and has a minimal contribution to the household's electricity requirement, it makes money for the housholder and installer but wether it makes a contribution to reducing CO2 is debatable. Energy storage technology is they key, Renewables typically could provide 100% of a housholds energy needs if the energy coud be stored on site, disconnected from from the grid but at present it cannot.
What we need are south facing roof slopes for PV, South is optimum.
Serried ranks or terreced housing a la Todmorden or Pontypridd with south facing roof slopes are the eco future not Mole Manor and similar wierdo schemes, And Tidal Generators are the best technology for big remewables, Time and tide wait for no man,
Wind turbines and Solar PV don't work on a freezing night in a flat calm but Tidal does.
David Broad says...
12:51am Fri 21 Sep 12
Personally I tgink all new build should have south facing roof slopes as PV tecnology is moving so swiftly that good looking highly efficient panel should be available within ten years.
Maybe we could have work place recharging points for electric cars.