Council's homes to lead way on energy

COUNCIL-owned buildings across the East Riding are to be used to generate green energy.

All but 10 of 331 new homes being built by the authority will have solar panels on the roofs and a study is under way to see if they could be put on other council buildings.

The UK has committed to producing 15 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 – a seven-fold increase in 2008 levels.

The Government has encouraged councils by lifting the ban on the sale of surplus electricity to the National Grid.

Officials think solar power is the quickest and easiest way to generate electricity and they are looking at “identifying buildings most suited to benefit due to location, size and orientation”.

People living in the new council houses will get cheap electricity and the council will also reap a financial benefit.

The new homes will have water efficient taps and features – like composting facilities – encouraging tenants to lead a greener life.

The council is less enthusiastic about building wind turbines. Although an “excellent revenue generator”, a report to a greater prosperity scrutiny committee on Thursday says “delivery is more medium term with significant lead times and planning implications”.

At present only 0.01 per cent of electricity in England is generated by local authority-owned renewables.

In Germany the equivalent figure is 100 times higher.

However critics say processing the silicate needed for the solar panels is not only very expensive but needs massive energy input – and then they have to be transported to the UK from China.

Others say the Government would have been better off subsidising the insulation of homes or councils simply just switching off the lights more.