Hull to install solar pannels at car park
Hull City Council is investigating the potential of generating power from solar panels placed atop carpark roofs.
The move follows a similar, highly successful operation at Messe Frankfurt and could help power council buildings while saving money. Surplus energy can also be sold into the National Grid after the government’s recent granting of permission to local authorities to re-sell electricity from renewable sources.
Hull City Council has reportedly identified four carparks as possible locations for the solar program, with a feasibility study into the initiative now being carried out. The council has been looking at alternate energy sources, and the new regulations allowing surplus energy sales make the move both environmentally and budget friendly. With recent budgetary constraints limiting local council expenditure, provision of renewable energy is seen as a lucrative proposition, in addition to enhancing the reputation of the city as a centre of excellence for the trend. Initial funding for the scheme is likely to come from the central government, though analysts expect the scheme to be self-funding within a decade, allowing an estimated £1.5 million each year to be slashed from the council’s£9 million energy bill.
The success of the photovoltaic system at Messe Frankfurt, launched last year and already expanded, has led to the creation of a new citizen and employee-owned solar station on the roof of the exhibition group’s Rebstock multi-storey car park. Built in conjunction with Mainova and the Sonneninitiative EV association, the 8,700sqm module area is capable of harvesting 750,000 kilowatt hours per annum, enough energy to power 250 homes, while reducing some 560 tonnes of carbon dioxide gases that would be otherwise used through fossil fuels.