NEW SOLAR panels are set to save Dorset’s largest country park around five tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
Avon Heath Country Park is now home to an array of solar panels on the roofs of its café, classroom and toilet block, which have been installed as part of Dorset Council’s drive to reduce carbon emissions.
The panels are expected to produce around 20,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a year which will help power the visitor centre, café and classroom as well as taking the council a step closer to its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2040.
Funding for the panels comes from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for highways, travel and environment, said: “We know Dorset has great potential for solar energy generation. By making good use of our available roof space, we can take important steps towards our net-zero goal.
“The new panels will also be an excellent educational resource for the park, providing an opportunity for visitors to learn about renewable energy and the important role it has to play in our county’s future.”
Last year, the council invested in solar panels at Moors Valley Country Park and work is underway to increase the number of solar panels and introduce low-carbon heating at Durlston Country Park in Swanage.
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