Solar plan for roofs of council buildings

A SPRAWLING council complex on the outskirts of Carmarthen could start generating green energy before long.

Eighteen solar arrays have been proposed on roofs at Parc Dewi Sant.

A company called Ameresco has applied to the council for permission to install more than 800 sq metres of panels throughout the Job’s Well Road site.

It would take around a month to install the panels and they would operate for 25 years, with all the electricity used at the offices.

A planning statement submitted on behalf of Ameresco said the visual impact of the panels “will be minimal and confined to the immediate locale”.

Maintenance visits twice a year would be required.

Two of the buildings chosen for the arrays – one a former sanatorium – have the potential to host bat roosts, according to the council’s ecologist. A bat survey has been carried out.

A pest controller was called to one of the two buildings within the last three years to deal with a mouse infestation in a void below a flat roof.

The planning statement said: “By generating onsite power for use, energy demand from the grid network will be reduced significantly.

“Renewably- sourced energy reduces that drawn from the grid which can be supplied from fossilfuelled plants.

“Should the array generate energy in excess of that required, this will be fed into the network.”

An earlier application seeking planning permission was withdrawn following delays.

The county council declared a climate emergency in February last year, committing itself to becoming a “net zero carbon” authority by 2030.

Making council offices and school buildings more energy efficient can be a challenge.

Carmarthen Town West councillor Emlyn Schiavone is backing the Parc Dewi Sant solar scheme.