New solar panel project at Harvey Hadden Sports Village will save council almost £4m in energy costs
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
A new solar panel project at Nottingham’s Harvey Hadden Sports Village will help the council to save almost £4m on energy costs.
The facilities, on Wigman Road in Bilborough, feature a 10-court sports hall, gym and a 50-metre swimming pool.
According to Nottingham City Council, the facility accounts for almost five per cent of the authority’s entire annual energy consumption.
To reduce its imported electricity use, an existing solar panel canopy in the car park and a roof-mounted solar PV system will be improved.
The £400,000 project has been recommended for approval at a Commissioning and Procurement Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday, October 15.
That comes after the sports village was confirmed as safe from being sold-off by the council amid ongoing financial difficulties.
“Harvey Hadden Sports Village (HHSV), part of the Active Nottingham network
managed by Nottingham City Council, reopened in 2015 after a major refurbishment and is expected to serve as a flagship leisure centre for Nottingham’s citizens long into the future, and has been confirmed by corporate landlord as an asset safe from disposal,” council documents say.
“As a high energy user, HHSV imports approximately 1,080,566 kWh of
electricity annually, accounting for 4.8 per cent of the council’s energy budget.
“The project expects to generate 20.84 per cent of Harvey Hadden’s remaining grid energy demand, thereby offsetting a substantial portion of imported electricity and gas with renewable sources.”
The council also says the project would reduce carbon emissions by 53.1 tonnes annually, and projected savings are in the region of £3,659,980 in electricity and £315,907 in gas over 30 years.
It will be funded through the Salix Recycling Fund, which provides ring-fenced funding in the form of a conditional repayable grant.
The grant is matched by the participating public services board to create a low-carbon fund, called a Local Fund, which helps pay for low carbon projects across the board’s estate.
The financial savings made from projects are then paid back into the fund
to pay for more energy-saving projects.
A Local Fund between Nottingham City Council and Salix Finance was first set up in 2009, each providing equal contributions, creating a fund with a total value of £1.5m.
To date the council says this has resulted in more than 300 projects being completed with savings now close to £4m.
Installation of the new solar PV system is expected to begin late January next year, with completion by March.
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