COUNCILS are being urged to green-light civic solar schemes as one local authority approves a landmark power project.
On Tuesday, North Ayrshire Council’s administration voted to build an eco-friendly £6.7 million solar photovoltaic (PV) farm on a former landfill site to tackle fuel poverty and reduce the region’s carbon footprint.
It’s hoped the Nethermains scheme will meet more than one third of the council’s current energy needs. The Labour administration will use the clean power to run its facilities at a “greatly reduced cost” in partnership with a licensed electricity third-party supplier to power. Sales to the grid could also bring in cash for the public coffers.