By Liz Coates Saturday, August 16, 2014
7:00 AM
A trio of life-line village halls are celebrating an energy boost thanks to the operators of a nearby solar farm.
The three halls at Ormesby and Scratby are now generating their own renewable energy which will cut bills to almost zero for two of them and mean fewer hikes for user groups.
Parish councillor Andrew Eagle said in the long run it would save the villages tens of thousands of pounds helping to guarantee the future for the community hubs.
Each of the three halls has had its own rooftop 4kw solar array installed at a total cost of £20,000, funded by Primrose Solar the company behind the Novia Scotia Solar Park on the A149.
According to the parish council, two of the halls – Ormesby Village Centre and The Bracecamp Hall – are expected to reduce energy costs to almost zero, and will earn additional income from selling surplus electricity to the grid.
The third building, All Saints Parish Hall at Scratby, was opened in 2012 and already has a raft of energy efficiency features, such as air source heat pumps and top of the range insulation. It is expected to save around 25pc in its energy costs thanks to the solar panels.
Mr Eagle said: “The halls are a very important part of village life, providing space for clubs, societies and community groups to meet, and also for conferences and parties. The extra income generated from the solar panels will enable them to be kept in good repair and new equipment to be purchased.
“The overall impact of these savings to the community is immense. With an anticipated life-span of 25 years on the panels, this project will go a very long way to keeping these important community facilities running for many more years.”
Giles Clark of Primrose Solar, said: “Supporting the communities who live near our solar developments is very important to us. We understand very well the benefits of solar power generation, so I’m very pleased we have been able to share them with Ormesby and Scratby, and that their parish halls will be generating green, local electricity for them for decades to come.”
The panels were installed over by Lowestoft-based Solar Energy Alliance.
Nova Scotia Solar Park is about two miles from Ormesby, and began generating electricity in March 2014. The 14 MW capacity site can generate enough green electricity to supply approximately 3,500 average homes, and is expected to save approximately 7,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Sheep and lambs flourish on the grass which grows under and around the panels.
A programme to enhance biodiversity, encouraging wildflowers to grow and with other ecological improvements to support wildlife, has also been implemented.
The 29 hectare site has about 53,820 panels altogether.
Have you got a community story? Contact liz.coates@archant.co.uk
Solar panels installed at Ormesby and Scratby villages halls
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