East Yorkshire Council has installed its first solar carport at Driffield’s Leisure Centre, with 52.4-kilowatt peak of solar photovoltaics and two dual electric vehicle charging units capable of cutting the building’s electricity bills by £20,000 a year.
The installation is expected to generate around 52,200-kilowatt hour of electricity, reducing the carbon emissions associated with the site by nine tonnes.
The council’s asset strategy team secured funding from the European Regional Development Fund towards the installation of solar pv, a solar farm, a solar carport and EV charging units across the authority.
The final strand of this scheme is the installation of a solar carport at East Riding Leisure Driffield. The leisure centre uses significant amounts of electricity, and the roof has already been subject to solar pv installations.
The scheme cost about £300,000 with almost 50% of the funding coming from ERDF.
Councillor Chris Matthews, portfolio holder for environment and climate change at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “It is fantastic to see the installation of what is thought to be the first carport in the East Riding and certainly the first provided by the council.
“This innovative solution allows us to continue to work towards realising the council’s net zero ambitions whilst also allowing ERL Driffield to reduce their electricity bills during this cost-of-living crisis.
“I’m really pleased this work has been achieved with minimal disruption to our residents and now the people of Driffield have further EV charging units on their doorsteps.”
