Wrexham Council On Track To Install 30,000 Solar Panels

Wrexham Council is on course to install 30,000 solar panels on its housing stock in one of the largest fittings of its kind in Europe.

By the time the project has been completed 3,000 of the authority’s social houses will have been fitted with solar photovoltaic panels.

Scaffolding has shot up all over Wrexham as the council moves quickly to finish the installations before the UK government halves the feed-in tariff for solar power.

The government had originally planned to halve the tariff from 43.3p to 21p on December 12 2011, which would have pulled the carpet from underneath the £60m project.

However, the High Court ruled that the proposals were “legally flawed” giving Wrexham Council time to install the panels and claim the higher tariff.

The initiative is part of a wider environment strategy, which has seen Wrexham become the top authority in Wales for reducing carbon emissions and in the top ten per cent in the UK.

The electrical energy generated by the panels is used to power electrical appliances with any surplus sold to the national grid and the money reinvested into council services.

It is estimated that the 20,000m² of PV cells that have been fitted to date will save 950tonnes of CO² with each roof generating 1258kw hours every year.

Wrexham-based manufacturer, Sharp Solar, which employs 1000 local people is providing the panels.

Forrest Green, the environmental services division of social housing regeneration specialist Forrest, was awarded the project in September last year and has employed local people as installers, tenant liaison officers, electricians and labourers.

Leader of Wrexham County Borough Council, Councillor Ron Davies, said: “We are on our way to reducing the borough’s carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2016 and the solar project is one of our major initiatives to meet those targets.

“Social housing is one of the largest contributors to Wrexham’s carbon footprint. We’re working closely with tenants to explain why PVs are important for the borough and the benefits of the scheme, which is expected to save up to 3,000 tonnes of CO2 each year in Wrexham. That is the equivalent of planting a forest of 3,000 trees.

“Alongside this the project has given a real boost to the local economy creating jobs and showcasing Wrexham as a place to do business.”