Northumberland County Council confirms solar car park will not cost the taxpayer after concerns raised

The much-vaunted solar car port, launched earlier this month, cost the council £3.9 million to build and includes a covered parking area with a canopy made from photovoltaic (PV) panels.

The council has said the clean energy produced by the panels will provide 40% of County Hall’s energy requirements. Along with the solar panels on the roof of the building, it is anticipated that between £100,000 and £150,000 will be saved on energy costs each year.

This money, according to the council, “can be invested in council services”. However – the industry standard life-span for PV panels is 25 years.

This means that the scheme would save between £250,000 and £375,000 over the lifetime of the scheme – short of the £3.9 million cost of the scheme in the first place.

However, the council has pointed out that £1.9 million of the overall capital investment was provided by the the European Region Development Fund (ERDF) towards the project, which does not need to be paid back. This means the full cost to the county council is £2 million – resulting in there being no overall loss to the council.

Once the cost of the scheme to the council is taken into account, saving of around £500,000 is expected over the 25-year lifespan of the scheme – or around £20,000 per year.

A council spokeswoman said: “Generating our own energy on this scale can help the council, and the taxpayer, combat the increasing costs in the national energy supply which we have seen over the past 18 months.

“Not only will this help save money, but each year over 250 tonnes of carbon emissions will be saved helping us reduce our carbon footprint and become a more sustainable organisation that is fit for the future.”

Leader of Northumberland Labour, Cllr Scott Dickson, had raised concerns about the cost.

He said: “Northumberland Labour are fully committed to a greener, more sustainable Northumberland. We welcome green initiatives to support staff, visitors and locals to meet the needs of electric vehicles

“However, schemes need to be carefully worked up to ensure they complete and cover their costs.”