A £430,000 project to harness the sun's energy to save money for council tax payers has been approved by Gedling Borough Council.

Councillors agreed to spend the cash on putting solar panels in the roofs of the depot and civic centre in Arnold and Carlton's Richard Herrod Centre.

This is expected to bring in more than £50,000 a year through the Government's Feed-in Tariff Scheme.

Councillor Paul Feeney said the investment would be worthwhile in the long term. "Energy prices are only going up," he said. "And as people buy more and more gadgets, we will need more and more energy in the future.

"I think this micro-generation of electricity is the way forward.

"This also demonstrates that we're an environmentally-aware council."

The Government introduced the Feed-in Tariff scheme last year to encourage small-scale renewable energy production.

Home owners and businesses receive cash both for the "green" electricity they use and any excess they export to the National Grid. The scheme is guaranteed for 25 years but the Government is reviewing it.

The council's Labour leader, Councillor John Clarke, said: "We see this as a way to move forward and wanted to get it approved early, to make sure it won't be too late."

The council will borrow money to pay for the project and will appoint contractors to finish it by the end of March 2012. The move was welcomed by campaign group Netherfield Eco Action Team.

Chairman Kaye Brennan said: "This shows how forward-thinking this council is. It's a long-term investment and we would encourage anyone to think about putting up solar panels."

POST with your toast! Kaye Brennan's favourite breakfast is organic eggs Florentine with a cup of fair-trade tea and organic milk.