Solar savings for Dorset’s highways

We are feeling the benefit of the sun, after installing solar panels on our highways depots in Charminster, Ferndown and Wareham.

Since the installations in 2022, we have saved approximately £54,000 a year in energy costs and significantly reduced our highways team’s carbon emissions.

The three schemes were part of a programme to install energy saving and renewable energy measures at over 200 council-owned sites over the course of a year. This was made possible thanks to £19 million from central government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.   

Cllr Jon Andrews commented: "The installation of solar panels at our depots is a significant step towards a greener future for Dorset. Not only are we reducing our carbon footprint, but we are also making substantial savings on energy costs.

“Even with the relatively small solar panel installations at the three depots combined, we are generating enough energy to power the equivalent of 77 average-size homes a year.    

“This renewable energy, which costs nothing to generate at the three sites, is used to charge our equipment and growing electric vehicle fleet, and help power our buildings.

“We are committed to helping build a greener, more sustainable future for our county and it is fantastic to see the positive impact these solar panels are having on our carbon footprint and the council’s energy bills.”

To meet our carbon neutral target, Dorset Council needs to move away from using fossil fuels (like oil and gas) to heat and power its buildings by 2035.

To do this we need to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, replace all oil and gas heating systems with low carbon alternatives, and generate any energy used from renewable sources.

Over 750,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity has been generated so far from the solar panels at the three depots. Excess energy generated by the solar arrays is fed back into the national electricity grid.

Charminster Depot - 415 solar panels  

Average energy generated (kWh/year)	156,566
Number of average UK homes using equivalent energy a year	47
Saving by the council per year	£33,000
CO2 Saved (tonnes per year)	35.2
Equivalent to km/miles driven by an average sized diesel car a year	246,540km (153,193 miles)

 

Ferndown Depot - 234 solar panels

Average energy generated (kWh/year)	80,508
Number of average UK homes using equivalent energy a year	24
Saving by the council per year	£17,000
CO2 Saved (tonnes per year)	18.1
Equivalent to km/miles driven by an average sized diesel car a year	126,744km (78,775 miles)

 

Wareham Depot - 59 solar panels

Average energy generated (kWh/year)	18,354
Number of average UK homes using equivalent energy a year	6
Saving by the council per year	£4,000
CO2 Saved (tonnes per year)	4.1
Equivalent to km/miles driven by an average sized diesel car a year	28,902kmm (17,959 miles)

 

Find out how we are reducing the carbon footprint of our buildings and operations