Cyngor Gwynedd to invest in green energy scheme

Gwynedd Council will invest £2.8 million in a clean energy plan, which will lead to an annual revenue saving of more than £500,000.

At its meeting on 22 November, the Cabinet approved the recommendation for investment in PV panels that will produce electricity from solar energy. The capital money will come from the Council's funds and will lead to immediate permanent revenue savings as a contribution to the Council's savings plan.

Electricity producing solar panels have already been installed on the Council's buildings, which means that there is no need to buy as much electricity from the national grid leading to savings. This investment forms part of the fourth phase of the plan for 54 of the Council's buildings.

Councillor Craig ab Iago, Gwynedd Council's Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, said:

"The climate crisis is frightening for many of us but I take comfort in the fact that plans like this can contribute greatly to reducing our dependence on traditional energy which releases carbon into the atmosphere. We want Gwynedd to be a green and clean county and are determined to make the best use of natural resources while protecting our fragile environment.

"It is timely that we are able to announce this decision during Welsh Climate Week 2022. As a Council, we are committed to reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2021 and through a combination of schemes we have already gone beyond this aim this earlier than expected.

"Not only do we invest in making our public buildings and services more eco-friendly, but we also support schemes that help local people reduce their carbon footprint, for example by helping to insulate homes and providing electric car charging points.”

In the current economic climate, where fuel prices and other costs are on the rise, such investments also make sense.

Councillor Craig ab Iago explained: "We don't know what energy costs will be in the future, and it is unlikely that they would be close to the 16.5p per unit the Council was paying before the autumn in the coming years. Because of this we are confident that the scheme will pay for itself within around 10 years."

The design, tendering and installation work on site will be completed during the next year.