Our solar panels are up and generating!

Leah and Hannah admire the view from the Dr Peter Centre roof before the scaffolding came down.

Romsey Scouts are delighted to confirm that our sustainable energy project has now been completed. The solar panels are in place and generating electricity and the new LED light bulbs are illuminating activities perfectly.

Following our recent success in securing matched-funding from Test Valley Borough Council and grants from The National Lottery Community Fund and the National Grid Community Grant Programme, the Dr Peter Centre in Romsey has now gained an array of 36 solar panels and a ceiling full of energy-saving LED light bulbs. The three grants, totalling £45,000, covered the majority of the installation costs, with a private donation from Tony Trowsdale covering the balance.

Installation work on the solar panels by renewable energy experts, Your Energy, Your Way, started on 13th September and was completed within a couple of weeks. Their experts then visited to commission the new system, including the software and 15kv battery.

“Our panels are working well and have already generated nearly 600kWh of electricity,” explained David Sutton, who has been coordinating the project on behalf of Romsey District Scouts. “With our almost due South roof, even on dull days and going into the autumn, they can still generate power. What isn’t used immediately, goes to charge our battery, which should significantly reduce the power we need to use from electricity suppliers. That and the reduced demand of the LED light bulbs should see our bills reduced significantly. This helps us keep our high charges down as well as helping to keep Scouting accessible to more families.”

To mark the end of the project, Your Energy, Your Way’s Managing Director, Leah Robson, visited the Dr Peter Centre to see the panels in place, with Hannah Barrow, one of their trainees.
“As a social enterprise ourselves, we are delighted to be able to support community projects like this one,” Leah said. “There is a shortage of people with the skills required to install renewable and sustainable energy technologies like these, and there is a significant lack of females coming into our industry. In training young people like Hannah and sharing their involvement in these projects, we hope to address both issues. It’s great to work with youth organisations like Scouting to help get that message across.”

Read more about the project here.