A north London council is set to save £65,000 after installing solar arrays on five of its buildings.
Enfield Council has completed 50kWp of solar PV across five sites, which it estimates will save 21 tonnes of CO2. The installations range from six to 20kWp and came with a total investment cost of £65,000 – equalling the expected savings.
The council employed the help of the Greater London Authority’s RE:NEW programme, which shortlisted the five sites after carrying out a suitability study looking at shading from trees and other buildings, roof orientation and planning constraints.
The panels have been installed on Enfield Council’s Civic Centre as well as John Wilkes House in Ponders End, Enfield Business Centre in Enfield Highway, Park Avenue Day Centre in Bush Hill Park and the Rose Taylor Centre in Enfield.
Councillor Alan Sitkin, the council’s cabinet member for business, said: “Using solar power to provide electricity for buildings is a win-win situation, it’s good for the council and good for the environment.
“Not only is the council on target to recoup its investment in a little over 10 years, but we are also giving a big helping hand to the environment by using this clean technology.
“Solar energy is renewable and this means that we will never run out of it. It is about as natural a source of power as it is possible to generate electricity. The panels also require little maintenance and are a silent producer of energy.”
Shirley Rodrigues, London’s deputy mayor for the environment, praised Enfield Council for “taking positive steps to reduce its carbon footprint by using this technology to improve energy efficiency.”
She said: “The Mayor of London has put green issues right at the top of his agenda and – through RE:FIT and other initiatives – we will be working with stakeholders across the private and public sector to support them in making the most of the capital’s buildings for solar energy generation.”
Enfield Council is carrying out 50 carbon saving projects as part of its Enfield 2020 programme.
