Thousands of solar panels to be installed at Lakeside North Harbour in Portsmouth

Portsmouth City Council has revealed plans to incorporate 10,000 panels on the roof of the Lakeside North Harbour office complex, as well as its car park canopies.

The project, that will begin this summer, is expected to generate enough electricity to power 1,100 homes for a year and result in the reduction of 2,215 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Councillor Dave Ashmore, the city council's environment and climate change boss, said it was a step towards reaching net zero.

He said: 'With the announcement of the innovative solar PV and battery projects at Lakeside North Harbour and Portsmouth International Port, it's clear that the council is moving fast towards its target of being net zero carbon by 2030.

'This is an exciting example of where solar power, battery storage and electric vehicle charging are working in harmony to reduce carbon, electricity costs and improving air quality.'

The project, to be installed by Custom Solar, will involve installing roof-mounted solar panels on the five buildings at Lakeside

And a 2.6 megawatt-hour battery will store excess solar generation that can be used during peak demand, to further help reduce energy costs and use carbon-free electricity in-house.

The battery will also be used to offer grid services, allowing power to be stored or discharged as required by the national electricity grid; so that the amount of renewable generation can be balanced with demand.

It is thought power produced will reduce Lakeside's reliance on grid electricity by 36 per cent.

SEE ALSO: Portsmouth has spent £5m on solar power in six years

At the same time as the solar panel installation an extra 40 electric vehicle charging points will be added to the site's car park.

It comes after the council launched a new scheme in January that will increase the number of homes fitted with solar panels. The online Switched On Solar tool will allow homeowners to see if their property is eligible for panel fitting – which could affect up to 32,000 homes.

And in October last year the authority announced the installation of a 250 kilo-watt solar system on the roofs of the Hilsea Industrial Estate.

All the new solar panels at Lakeside are expected to be installed by spring 2022.

The News has launched the Going for Green campaign in conjunction with Portsmouth Climate Action Board to encourage residents to adopt more sustainable lifestyles, and also to monitor the actions of large corporations and organisations.

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