Photovoltaic (PV) panels installed on the roof of the new Elsea Park Community Centre in Bourne, are set to save the Elsea Park Trust nearly £500 a year in energy costs and up to six tonnes of carbon emissions.
They will also generate an income of around £1,500 per year – giving a total financial benefit of close to £2,000 per year.
PV panels produce electricity from daylight, generating useable power even on cloudy days.
Market Deeping-based Eco Building Products supplied 40 PV panels and SMA inverters which together convert the sun’s energy into usable electricity. The whole scheme is predicted to generate over 8,000 kWh of electricity annually, which will help reduce the centre’s bills for electricity from the grid.
Lark Energy, part of the Larkfleet Group, oversaw the planning of the project and installation of the panels.
The Centre @ Elsea Park will benefit from the government’s Feed in Tariff (FIT) which guarantees payments for the generation of energy from renewable energy technologies such as PV panels.
The centre will use around 80 per cent of the electricity generated by the installation. The remainder will be exported to the national grid. The income from taking advantage of FIT is predicted to be in the region of £1,500 each year while the predicted savings in energy costs will be about £460 annually.