Solar panels 'to cut leisure centre running costs'

The solar panels will provide 20% of the electricity needed to run the leisure centre, Cumberland Council says

Solar panels have been installed on a leisure centre as part of efforts to reduce costs and protect the environment.

Workington Leisure Centre in Cumbria has been fitted with 160kW panels, which will provide about 20% of the site's electricity demand.

The installation is expected to save money on running costs and generate income by exporting electricity back into the National Grid during periods of low consumption.

Cumberland Council's executive member for vibrant and healthy places, Anne Quilter, said the solar panels were one way the council was working to "build a greener, more sustainable future for [its] communities".

She said their installation also aligned with the Labour-led local authority's "commitment to tackling the climate emergency and building environmental resilience" across the region.

The solar panels were paid for using capital grant funding from the Sport England Swimming Pool Support Fund, which also helped to pay for panels at The Sands Centre in Carlisle.

Tom Rice, partnership manager at Greenwich Leisure Limited, which runs the centre, said: "One of our key priorities is to futureproof leisure facilities across [the area] and champion environmental resilience."

He said the cost savings made from selling electricity back to the grid would be reinvested back into the leisure centre.