Solar panels installed at Thorn Turn as Central Beds tackle climate crisis
The panels will be used to light, heat and power Thorn Turn highways depot
Solar panels installed at Thorn Turn highways depot are one of three schemes currently being piloted by Central Bedfordshire Council.
The ADEPT Live Labs trial is part of a £22.9 million programme, which is enabling the council to test the renewable energy projects.
In partnership with infrastructure contractor Colas Ltd, the pannels laid are able to generate up to 17,400kW of electricity an hour.
This would be enough to provide energy for around five houses a year.
Vehicles can still drive on the panels, just as they would on a normal road surface.
The panels can generate power through sunlight at the same time.
As a result, CO2 emissions would be reduced, helping the council reduce its carbon footprint.
It comes as they work towards being net zero by 2030.
A thermal energy trial was also carried out at Thorn Turn car park.
It saw five geothermic probes extended 150 metres into the ground. The probes responded to the temperature dropping to freezing and the thermal energy is used to de-ice the car park.
Vehicles are then able to continue operating and money is saved on gritting salt.
The heat contained in an on-site geothermal storage unit is also able to heat the depot, which saves money on energy bills.
Speaking to Greatest Hits, Councillor Steven Dixon, Executive Member for Sustainability and Transformation at Bedfordshire Council, said: "These are unique projects that have allowed us to experiment with alternative forms of energy generation and how we cut our carbon footprint.
They are small scale trials but these learnings will help us go further."
He added:
"Depending on the economics of them, we are going to be looking at using government funding to fuel the success of these schemes.
I think more and more of these schemes will get rolled out and the commercial opportunities for this floor-based stuff are definitely there and we are showing that"