The energy that keeps one of Worcester’s most popular leisure centres going is about to get cleaner, with finishing touches being made this week to the installation of solar panels.
The arrival of photovoltaic panels on the roof of Perdiswell Leisure Centre means that the building – home to Worcester’s main public swimming pool – will be generating a significant proportion of its own power by harnessing the energy of the sun.
That will help to bring down the leisure centre’s bills and reduce the environmental impact of the energy the building uses.
Solar panels were installed on the swimming pool roof earlier this year. The second and final phase of the project has seen more panels put in place on the sports hall roof, following the completion of preparatory maintenance work.
The completed array of photovoltaic panels is forecast to generate 230 mwh of electricity, saving around £50,000 a year on the leisure centre’s annual energy costs and reducing its CO2 emissions.
The project has been made possible thanks to a grant of £195,750 from the Sport England Swimming Pool Support Fund, covering approximately three quarters of the installation cost.
Thanks to the electricity generated by the solar panels, and the Sports England grant, the cost to the Council will be paid back within two years.
Councillor Lynn Denham, Leader of Worcester City Council, said: “Our ambition is for Worcester to be a carbon neutral city, so installing solar panels on Council buildings is an important step towards that goal.
“Perdiswell Leisure Centre is home to a competition-standard swimming pool, a sports hall, top quality gym and much more. Running all those facilities requires a lot of energy, so if there’s a chance to reduce the cost of that energy and make more of it sustainable, it makes perfect sense.”
