Builders' merchants reaping rewards of largest solar panel installation
A BUILDERS' merchant will be £27,000 a year better off after installing the biggest solar panel array in the East Midlands.
A total of 441 panels have been put on the roof of John A Stephens, in Castle Meadow Road.
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Green team: Kevin Hard, managing director of EvoEnergy, Richard Barlow, chairman of the Green Nottingham Partnership, and Andrew Stephens, of John A Stephens, on the roof of the building in Castle Meadows RoadPicture: DUSTIN MICHAILOVS NODM20101216A-001_C
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Green team: Kevin Hard, managing director of EvoEnergy, Richard Barlow, chairman of the Green Nottingham Partnership, and Andrew Stephens, of John A Stephens, on the roof of the building in Castle Meadows Road
Picture: DUSTIN MICHAILOVS NODM20101216A-001_C
They will generate £23,445 a year for the company through a Government scheme which pays for renewable electricity that is piped into the National Grid.
The panels will also cut its energy bills by about £3,700 a year based on current prices.
The installation was carried out by EvoEnergy, of Eldon Business Park, Attenborough.
Peter Stephens, managing director of John A Stephens, approved the project after having 21 solar panels placed on the roof of his home in Radcliffe-on-Trent.
Mr Stephens said: "I had been considering using solar photo-voltaic for the last five years. It was the Government's recent introduction of the feed-in tariff that made it financially viable."
The panels, will generate enough energy to power 17 family homes.
They will also reduce the company's carbon dioxide emissions by 39,498kg a year.
The investment will be paid back in 10 to 12 years through the tariff system, which pays homeowners 41.3p per unit of electricity (kWh) generated.
Dr Kevin Hard, managing director of EvoEnergy, said: "The installation is the largest solar PV installation in the East Midlands and currently one of the largest in the UK.
"Projects like this demonstrate how we can quickly deploy solar across our rooftops and assist Nottingham to be one of the UK's greenest cities."
Richard Barlow, chairman of the Green Nottingham Partnership, visited the new installation.
As the man who is charged with overseeing the implementation of the Nottingham Sustainable Community Strategy, he said: "One of our main objectives is to reduce Nottingham's carbon emissions by 26% on 2005 figures by 2020.
"It is really encouraging to see an important supplier to the building industry and local solar PV specialists EvoEnergy working together to contribute to a greener Nottingham."
2 Comments
by Sneintonite, Sneinton
Friday, December 24 2010, 11:02AM
“@m, gedling. Just so your comments don't spread mis-information.
It is true that the present Tory government could be so stupid to ignore our need for building renewable energy to replace currently unsustainable polluting methods of energy production and scrap the FIT scheme. The Tories are not known for being green.
It is also true that this is heavily subsidised scheme, but then so is farming. The idea of the FIT scheme is to encourage take up of renewables. Once they are installed they last for years and provide free clean energy.
What's not true is that people who are already on the scheme would lose the FIT income. This is protected in the agreements. So if you are interested in making both an investment for the future of this planet and your pocket then you better hurry up.
Before all the anti's start ranting back at me, why don't you have a read of Prof David MacKay's book, Sustainable Energy - without the hot air. Get some facts about renewable energy that ain't from the gutter press.
http://www.withouthotair.com/”
by m, gedling
Thursday, December 23 2010, 6:11PM
“they are until the gov decides that maybe its not a good idea to buy leccy in for twice as much as it resells it,
the scheme could be scrapped without notice,”