Council proposes big investment in solar energy

The Borough Council will next week consider a proposal to invest in two major solar energy schemes at two of its sites, generating significant financial savings for the Council tax account and reducing its carbon emissions.

The photovoltaic (PV) cells, if approved, would be installed on the roof of the Council’s depot at Earlswood and on the roof of the new Horley Leisure Centre.  The upfront cost would be a total of £230,000, but over the course of their 25 year lifespan the panels would generate hundreds of thousands of income over and above the cost, in savings on electricity bills, income from selling surplus energy to the National Grid, and money from the government’s Feed-in Tariff.

The project would also place the Council high amongst all Councils in the south east in terms of installed renewal energy capacity, and contribute to the Council’s stated goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 30% by 2014.

Councillor Julian Ellacott, the Council’s portfolio holder for environment, said:

“This is a very good scheme and represents a real investment opportunity for the Council, which is rare in these difficult financial times.  We have looked carefully at the implications, and are confident that it is viable after recent Government announcements that the Feed-in Tariff will continue and that we will be allowed to sell unused electricity back to the Grid, which we were previously forbidden to do.

“The PV cells on the new Horley Leisure Centre will be particularly beneficial, because together with the wood fuel boiler which will heat the new centre they will make this an extremely environmentally sound leisure centre, with far less reliance on external energy sources than a traditional leisure centre.”

If the Executive and full Council approve the scheme, the cells should be installed in early 2011.  If these schemes are implemented successfully the Council says that it will consider further projects, on other suitable buildings.  The Council’s Woodhatch Community Centre has already has a set of PV cells installed, at the behest of the Centre’s Management Committee, and reports suggest that many local residents are also having cells installed on their homes.