Ryedale District Council in North Yorkshire is driving forward the use of solar energy to heat public facilities, having just installed solar panels on the roof of its public swimming baths.
Ryedale Pool in Pickering has had a huge solar thermal array installed on its roof, after investigations into having the pool's boiler replaced led council facilities engineers to consider a solar alternative.
Top engineers devised a large-scale solar thermal system, which has seen two separate rows of 21 SSK 2.1 solar thermal panels built on to the flat roof of the pool. The panels have been integrated with two gas boilers and a combined heat and power and is expected to cut the leisure centre’s annual power bill by some 46 per cent.
Mike Adams, the facilities manager for the council said that they had been able to make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions while also reducing energy expenditure.
“Solar thermal technology is particularly suited to this type of facility due to the large energy demand and also aided by the orientation of the large south facing elevation,” he explained. “This is a win-win situation, having positive benefits for the customers of Ryedale Pool, for the Council, for residents of Ryedale and for the planet!”