Joint solar power project is granted planning permission
PLANNING permission has been granted for the largest solar array in the Channel Islands with work to install it expected to begin within six months.
Guernsey Electricity and Guernsey Post announced their joint plans in October.
The new solar array, which will be built on the roof of Guernsey Post’s headquarters at Envoy House, La Vrangue, will be approximately 200kW in size and will produce around 200,000 kWh of electricity each year.
This energy, which is the equivalent amount needed to power Guernsey Post’s fleet of electric vehicles, will be directed to the electricity grid.
Post chief executive Boley Smillie said: ‘We are very excited to be part of such a significant project which will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the environment and the local community.’
Guernsey Electricity chief executive Alan Bates said this would be a milestone project, demonstrating how commercial businesses can make a meaningful contribution to generating renewable power on-island.
‘As a company, we firmly believe that the distributed generation of electricity from renewable sources is a positive development that will enable the entire island to benefit from locally generated low carbon energy. We hope the success of these projects will inspire more commercial scale solar array projects in the future,’ said Mr Bates.
A solar installation was completed at Guernsey Electricity’s head office in March. The scheme at the postal headquarters will be twice the size.
Guernsey has committed to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions on 1990 levels by 2050 and the States continues to review its energy policy.
‘Guernsey Electricity is keen to continue to work with interested parties, such as Guernsey Post, to look for further opportunities to install more distributed renewable energy generation systems around the island to help Guernsey meet its wider greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets,’ said Mr Bates.
Following a tender process it is hoped that the installation of the solar array at Guernsey Post will take place in the first half of 2019.
