- The new solar energy infrastructure will save about £150,000 in energy costs yearly and more than 250 tonnes of carbon emissions.
- The project is one of the United Kingdom’s largest car port array installations with 800kW solar panels.
Northumberland County Council, under the UK Power Networks Services, has erected a £3.8 Million Solar Car Port in County Hall in Morpeth. This solar car port, funded by England European Regional Development Fund, would save up to £150,000 from the council’s energy bill and over 250 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
In addition to reducing energy costs, the project is expected to help meet the council’s target of reducing its emissions in half by 2025 and provide weather protection for electric vehicles. Energy from the solar panels will be used to power the main building, provide electricity to electric vehicle charge points for fleet and staff vehicles and store energy to help optimise costs and carbon efficiency.
The new solar energy infrastructure costs £3.8 million, has a covered parking area with a canopy made from photovoltaic (PV) panels and is one of the largest car port array installations in the UK. It has 800kW (kilowatt) solar panels and a 400kW battery energy storage system with smart controls to optimise energy use, carbon emissions and costs throughout the day.