Helston Town Council set to go solar-powered after approval of plans

Helston Town Council is set to go solar-powered after plans were approved for panels on the council building.

The solar panels will be located on The Guildhall roof facing the hill downwards.

"The system will provide an excellent environmental and ecological benefit to this public facility and would assist in the reduction of both Helston's and Cornwall's carbon footprint in the current climate emergency," the application reads.

The panels will be at a height of more than 7 meters and will be behind the parapet, it is not expected to cause any visual impact to residents.

Helston Climate Action Group supported the application but also called for further action into reducing the towns carbon footprint.

Mr Jules Lewis from HCAG commented:

"The Guildhall is a visually attractive building of obvious historic interest. However, it has numerous features that make it extremely wasteful in terms of energy use.

"For instance, the chamber on the first floor has a very high ceiling, creating an enormous volume to heat, with single glazed windows. (There are single-glazed windows throughout.) The building and water are currently heated with a gas boiler.

"The installation of solar panels would provide an alternative supply of energy that could be used for lighting and eventually electrically sourced heat, when the boiler is replaced. In time, the windows will need to be replaced with more efficient designs, but this is likely to be a vastly more costly undertaking."

See more from Helston Town Council here.

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