Six water treatment plants on the south coast have installed solar panels in a move that could save operator Portsmouth Water 4,000 a year in electricity costs.
Each site has fitted 50kW of solar panels across its reservoir roofs and adjacent land to produce electricity that will by used on-site to pump and treat water.
The scale of investment has not been revealed. However, installers Solarcentury estimated the panels will generate 42,500 units of electricity a year, resulting in payments through the feed-in tariff scheme as well as a reduction in Portsmouth Water's energy bills.
Nick Roadnight, Portsmouth Water's managing director, said the company is keen to reduce its exposure to rising electricity prices.
"It is important that, as a user of energy, we look at all the potential options to reduce the amount of energy we have to take from the national grid, and at the same time look to reduce our carbon footprint without placing any risk on our ability to supply water to our customers," he said.
"The installation of solar panels on our sites achieves all of these objectives and, with around a 25-year life span, it helps the company have a more sustainable approach to energy use."
Along with Homesun, Friends of the Earth and several other firms, Solarcentury has been at the centre of a long-running legal case challenging the government's plans to cut feed-in tariff incentives for solar installations with just six weeks' notice.
The company saw a number of large contracts cancelled as a result of the proposed changes, but a spokeswoman for the company said the Portsmouth Water deal may offer a template that will allow future projects to proceed, despite the expected cuts to incentives.
She told BusinessGreen there is the possibility of more similar deals in the pipeline, but declined to provide further details.
A spokesman for Portsmouth Water added that installing further panels depended on the outcome of the government's appeal against the High Court ruling on Friday.
没有评论:
发表评论