 The panels will generate power for 25 flats |
A block of former council flats on a Tyneside estate has become the home of one of the UK's largest solar arrays. More than 450 solar panels have been installed on the flats in Newcastle as part of a trial into domestic solar power generation.
Some 25 flats will benefit from the �250,000 experiment, which will see almost a third of electricity generated from the panels.
The Department of Trade and Industry has part-funded the project.
Your Homes Newcastle, the city's new housing management company, installed a solar energy system, with help from the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE).
Every year the cells will produce enough renewable energy to make nearly a million cups of coffee.
'Energy solutions'
BCSE chief executive David Green, said: "This scheme shows the real benefits of putting sustainable energy systems to work in local communities. Bills come down and carbon emissions get cut."
The Newbiggin Hall Solar Project includes 25 photovoltaic arrays installed on a typical three-storey block of flats in the area.
The system is being closely monitored as part of the government's solar energy programme.
The government says it wants 10% of electricity to be created from renewable energy sources by 2010.
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