Hull City Council begins car park solar panel project
September 2, 2010
A new pilot solar panel project from Hull City Council will be rolled out across four car parks in the wake of a highly successful solar scheme run in Messe Frankfurt.
The move will help generate renewable energy to power local council buildings resulting in economical and environmental savings. Additionally energy, under the newly passed regulation that allows councils to sell back excess energy, will be re-sold to the National Grid.
Already, four locations on car park roofs have been identified for the project, and the council has begun a feasibility study for each site. The authority has long been investigating alternative energy projects, and the most recent passing of new laws allowing councils to re-sell extra renewable energy resources back into the grid has proved both an environmentally and budget friendly option. During the austerity budget, the scheme is expected to aid councils in generating additional income to fund future projects.
The central government has taken on the burden of covering the startup costs, but Hull City Council has said that it would like to see the scheme self-funded in the next decade. Once operating at full capacity, it is expected that the solar panels will produce enough energy to save the council £1.5 million off its £9 million energy bill each year.
Messe Frankfurt began a similar project last year, which features photovoltaic systems on car park roofs. The scheme has proven so successful that the local authority has already expanded it to include an additional solar panel system at the Rebstock multi-storey car park.
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