Thousands of pounds are being invested in renewable energy by Swanage Town Council in Dorset, with the aim of reducing its electricity bill and its reliance on the National Grid by 40 percent.
More than 50 solar panels have been installed over two roofs at the council’s Prospect Park depot in Swanage and more are planned for the roof of the Beach Gardens Pavilion.
Scaffolding goes up at Swanage Town Council’s Prospect Park depot
Part funded by Low Carbon Dorset
The work, which also includes the installation of LED lighting, will total £64,820, however the town council is only paying half the cost, as 50 percent is being funded by a grant from Low Carbon Dorset.
Swanage Town Council has a target to be carbon neutral by 2030 and while this is a step towards it, the target is ambitious and currently unlikely to be met without further bold moves.
Both the council depot and Beach Gardens Pavilion benefit from relatively large roofs, and it is expected that the solar panels should generate a good return, both in terms of renewable electricity, and also by reducing the cost of the council’s energy bill.
Solar panels are also planned for the roof of the Beach Gardens Pavilion near Swanage’s seafront
LED lights will also be installed in other council properties including the Swanage Information Centre
Upgrading to LED lights
In addition, the council is upgrading all remaining light fittings in its buildings to LED lamps, which are significantly more efficient than older lamps.
Lamps in the council’s toilets were upgraded a few years ago, so this will now include the Swanage Town Hall, the council’s depot, the Swanage Information Centre and Beach Gardens Pavilion.
These improvements are anticipated to enable the town council to reduce its electrical energy requirement from the National Grid from 196,000 kWh in 2023 to 116,000 kWh, a reduction of around 40 percent.
An ideal flat surface for solar panels
A total of 50 panels have been installed over two roofs at the council depot
“Everyone needs to work together”
Chair of Swanage Town Council’s environment and green spaces committee Debby Monkhouse said:
“We’re very committed to reducing our carbon footprint. Our natural environment is very special here – the beaches and the countryside – and we need to protect it. Everyone needs to work together to achieve what we can and this is one way that the council can do its bit.
“From a practical point of view the move towards solar power will provide the council with revenue savings over time, and we’re keen to go further and explore other ways that will save money and help us meet the target of carbon neutrality.
“There’s lots of ideas and we’re talking to other councils and looking and learning from them, to see what’s possible. We owe it to our community to support our beautiful natural environment as much as possible!”
Charging points at the council depot will now be solar powered
The council has two electric vehicles and a third is about to arrive
Solar powered town council vehicles
The council already has two electric vans that are used by its operations team and a new electric flat back truck is about to arrive.
Rather than install a battery to store the energy from the solar panels, the plan is to charge the electric vehicles when extra energy is being generated, which should dramatically reduce the running costs of the vehicles.
Following a competitive tender process, the council appointed the Gillingham-based company Dorset Energy Solutions to install the solar panels.
Great views while working
Installing the panels for Dorset Energy Solutions: Jeremy Edmed (left) and Jim Down (right)
“Bonus of amazing seaviews”
Jim Down from Dorset Energy Solutions said:
“It’s been good to install solar panels for the town council and help it move towards using renewable energy, which is not only positive for the environment but will also save money in the long term.
“Working with the town council team has been a pleasure and we’ve had the bonus of amazing seaviews while we’ve been installing the panels, which has been great!”
Work to install solar panels on the roof of the Beach Gardens Pavilion will begin after the summer season with the aim of completing all the work, including the LED lamps, by the end of October 2024.
Further information
- More about Low Carbon Dorset
