PARKING the car in Stratford is set to become greener.
Stratford District Council’s cabinet has this week given the go-ahead to solar carports in Stratford Leisure Centre’s car park.
Solar carports are dual-purpose structures with solar panels on top of parking shelters that generate clean energy while protecting vehicles from the weather.
They are customizable, use durable materials like steel or timber, and enhance a site’s green credentials while also creating revenue opportunities.
The carports, which will cover parts of the leisure centre car park in Bridgefoot, will generate electricity which can be used to power the leisure centre and its electric vehicle charging points.
The scheme will generate 370 MWh annually for a capital cost of around £1.1million.
Councillors heard that a complication of this method of generation is that energy is not supplied at a constant rate or at a rate that mirrors demand.
A report submitted to the council showed that, combined with the solar panels already installed on the leisure centre’s roof, there will be significant times when the combined arrays will be generating more than the leisure centre can consume.
For this reason, the report recommended the incorporation of battery storage so that the generated energy can be stored until it is required by the leisure centre or the electric vehicle chargers.
Councillors gave their approval to this battery at an estimated extra cost of £600,000, giving a total capital cost for the scheme of £1.7million.
The solar carports scheme is part of a continued bid by SDC to reduce its carbon footprint.
A hydro power scheme in the River Avon, which would involve placing two archimedean screw turbines within the weir on the river close to Lucy’s Mill was not given approval by councillors. The scheme would generate electricity which could be fed via a private wire arrangement into the adjacent Royal Shakespeare Theatre at a capital cost of around 1.5million.
Councillors considered both projects were viable but decided to progress with the solar carports in the first instance.
