Solar panels could be set for roof of STEAM Museum
Swindon's STEAM museum is set for a green makeover as solar panels could be installed on the roof.
And there may be more solar farms going up around the borough, and wider area as well, councillors have been told
Members of Swindon Borough Council's Build a Greener Swindon policy and performance committee heard from the cabinet member for environment and transport, Councillor Chris Watts, and senior officer Edward Jones on the progress of the authority in cutting its own emissions.
Chairman of the committee, Councillor Neil Hopkins, said: 'We and Wiltshire Council encourage residents to join solar together as a way of them cutting their emissions, but there are very few solar panels on the council's buildings.
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'It took me years to get panels on South Swindon Parish Council buildings, can we do more here?'
Mr Jones was unequivocal: 'Yes. We are looking at putting a solar panel on the roof of STEAM Museum, it will make it much more energy efficient and also keep it warmer in the winter - I understand it's very cold in winter.
'And while solar farms are not as popular as they once were because they are not as efficient as people thought they would be, we have a much better understanding of them now.'
He added: 'Swindon is a particularly good place for them, being in Southern England but with land costs a lot less than around Bath and Bristol.
'We can make much better use of solar here in Swindon.'
The report showed that the council had done well in cutting its emissions and was on target for a 57 per cent cut in its 2018-19 emissions by 2030 and a 78 per cent cut by 2035.
But he said there was more to be done: 'Our biggest cut has come from going over to LED streetlights, and we've also benefited from the decarbonisation of the grid in general – there's more solar, more wind, more nuclear and less fossil fuel being used to generate electricity.
'But that hasn't been our conscious choice. We will have to make more conscious choices in the future.'
Councillors were told that there is a rolling plan to change the council's vehicles from running on diesel to electricity, which Mr Jones said was 20 times cheaper.
Councillor Watts said the fleet of recycling and refuse collection lorries was less than two years old – but the council did have a long-term ambition of acquiring electric lorries when that fleet needs replacing.
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