Solar panel plan ready to move forward

Clean energy solar panels are being considered for council land.Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is set to develop detailed plans for a field of solar panels after an initial review said there is potential to place them on authority-owned land.The 8.9 hectare site under consideration neighbours Keele Cemetery, next to the A525.Simon Tagg, leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, said: “This authority is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels and becoming carbon neutral.“This project takes advantage of council land to generate clean energy and use it to power the cemetery complex and potentially provide it to other customers in the area.“Any surpluses generated from the proposed scheme would be reinvested in moving the council towards its net zero target.”The site earmarked is one day expected to be incorporated into the cemetery and used for burials – but not during the 25-year lifespan of any solar panel project.Following a Government commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council intends to make its own estate and activities carbon neutral.Part of the authority’s policy is to reduce general reliance on fossil fuel use by investigating green energy use.David Hutchison, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s Cabinet member for Sustainable Environment, said: “We have a responsibility to our taxpayers to make best use of our assets and resources and there is a clear potential here to invest in green energy for everyone’s benefit.”Money from the Government’s Carbon Reduction Fund was used for the initial assessment of the A525 site.No decision has been taken yet regarding whether to buy or lease the solar panels, the approach to maintenance, or connection to the wider system.If approved at Cabinet tomorrow (October 17), the next steps would be to submit a detailed plan and business case, followed by a planning application.