Green light for £1.3m solar investment in Mildenhall

30 Sep 2024

Plans to build solar panel canopies at a Mildenhall Hub car park that could save £152,000 and 125 tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2) per year have been given the green light by West Suffolk Council Cabinet. 

At their meeting on Tuesday, 17 September, Cabinet discussed the proposals, which could see up to £1.3 million invested in the scheme and supports the council’s strategic priority of environmental resilience. 

The scheme, if it obtains planning permission, would see the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) canopies at one of the Mildenhall Hub’s two car parks.  

This is an initiative being used elsewhere in the UK and wider by public bodies to generate renewable electricity, financial savings and environmental benefits. Learning from that experience elsewhere, this site (the western car park at the hub) was selected because this is where it will have the greatest benefits.   

The Mildenhall Hub already maximises its available roof space for solar PV installations to reduce costs and provide renewable energy. In addition, there is capacity on site to store surplus energy using the existing battery.  

Due to the many users of the hub, including heating a pool, there remains a substantial demand for electricity. By installing solar canopies, the council can further reduce the hub’s reliance on grid electricity, thereby lowering utility costs and enhancing the site's environmental resilience.  

The project supports the strategic priority of environmental resilience and the council’s target of producing net zero carbon emissions.

Additionally, the project offers other tangible benefits such as sheltered parking from the rain and sun and will serve as a pilot for other car parks across West Suffolk.   

The report highlighted a capital budget of up to £1,300,000 is likely to be required for the project based on market-testing, which will be funded from the council’s existing Decarbonisation Initiatives Fund.  

The initiative is projected to deliver a positive return on investment for taxpayers which can be invested back into other public services, with an internal rate of return (IRR) estimated at 6.35 per cent including the cost of borrowing and ongoing revenue costs and taking into account development costs. This means the project is estimated to be cost neutral in 15 years but also save 125tCO2 emissions per year. 

Councillor Gerald Kelly, Portfolio Holder for Governance, Regulatory and Environment, said: “Once again West Suffolk Council is delivering on its strategic priorities by turning our aims for environmental resilience into reality. If given planning permission this scheme will produce renewable energy that reduces the production of CO2 emissions harmful to the climate and saves taxpayers’ money as well as helping other public bodies. This builds on our expertise and successful delivery of schemes such as the solar farm at Toggam and Solar for Business which have helped more than 90 businesses and prevented 3,957 tCO2 being released into the atmosphere.” 

More information on Solar for Business can be found here:  Solar for Business

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