The church has 174 solar panels

The church of St Mary's in Osterley, west London, has a surplus of electricity after installing solar panels in the roof of a new hall.

The 174 panels produce 30 kilowatts of power, which is enough to light and heat the church's two halls with an expected surplus being sold off.

The deal with the National Grid using the solar panels is thought to be the first of its kind involving a church building.

The panels also provide sound proofing for the church which is under the Heathrow flight path.

The Reverend Marion Warman, 82, an honorary curate at St Mary's, said the Department of Trade and Industry provided 90% of the �169,000 cost of installing the panels.

'Small sums'

She said: "The panels will cut our electricity bills considerably, but we don't yet know how much money we may receive for the electricity we sell to the National Grid.

"The sums will probably be quite small."

Energy minister Stephen Timms said: "This project is an excellent example of how solar power can give a new lease of life to a community building, providing power and sound proofing.

"It is also playing its part in reducing greenhouse gases and meeting the government's aim to cut carbon dioxide by 60% by 2050."