Council saves £54,000 per year in energy costs with solar panels

Dorset Council has saved approximately £54,000 a year in energy costs since the installation of solar panels in their highway depots in Charminster, Ferndown and Wareham.

The installations were completed in 2022.

The council said these energy-saving measures were part of a large-scale project to reduce carbon emissions, funded with £19 million from the central government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.

The project has resulted in significantly reducing the highways team’s carbon emissions.

Councillor Jon Andrews, of Dorset Council, said: “The installation of solar panels at our depots is a significant step towards a greener future for Dorset.

“Not only are we reducing our carbon footprint, but we are also making substantial savings on energy costs.”

He added: “Even with the relatively small solar panel installation at the three depots combined, we are generating enough energy to power 77 average-size homes a year.

“This renewable energy, which costs nothing to generate at the three sites, is used to charge our equipment and growing electric vehicle fleet, and help power our buildings.”

The council needs to shift away from the use of fossil fuels and improve the energy efficiency of its buildings to reach its goal of carbon neutrality by 2035.

The measures undertaken include replacing all oil and gas heating systems with low carbon alternatives and generating any energy used from renewable sources.

The solar panels at the three depots have thus far generated over 750,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, with any waste energy being fed back into the national electricity grid.

Specifically, the Wareham Depot equipped with 59 solar panels generates an average of 18,354 kilowatt-hours of energy per year, resulting in a yearly saving of £4,000.

The Ferndown Depot, with 234 solar panels produces an average of 80,508 kilowatt-hours of energy annually, supplies electricity to 24 homes and provides annual savings of approximately £17,000.

Cllr Andrews said: “We are committed to helping build a greener, more sustainable future for our county and it is fantastic to see the positive impact these solar panels are having on our carbon footprint and the council’s energy bills.”

This initiative forms part of a robust council-wide programme, aiming to install energy-saving and renewable-energy facilities at more than 200 council-owned sites within just a year.