Colchester council-owned buildings to get solar panels

Around 2,000 solar panels are to be installed on council-owned buildings in Colchester, Essex.

The borough council is to offer Photovoltaics (PV) panels to homes and commercial buildings in the town.

It estimated the scheme, which it said was the largest of its kind currently underway in the country, could save more than 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

After a pilot installation this week, it will be rolled out to tenants over the next few months.

The project is being funded through the government's Feed in Tariff (FiT), which will pay the panel's installers, Breyer Group.

The council has identified around 2,000 residential buildings that could be offered the panels and estimated it could reduce average energy bills by up to £150 per year.

The project is due to be completed by March 2012.