Cathedral moves closer to net zero with solar panels

Solar panels are being added to a cathedral roof but visitors will not be able to see them from the ground, the dean has said.

St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds is set to have nearly 100 solar panels installed on its roof this year but the dean, the Very Reverend Joe Hawes, says they will be installed to ensure they are only visible from the air and not to those walking below.

Planners from West Suffolk Council today approved plans to install 66 solar panels on the cathedral's south aisle roof, on Angel Hill, and a further 24 on the Lady Chapel roof.

"We are on a journey towards net zero and solar panels are the first stage on that journey," he said.

The panels will be part of the £9.9m "Abbey of St Edmund, Reborn" project, backed by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to create a major tourist attraction in the town.

They will generate about 22% of the cathedral's total yearly electricity use, saving more than 10 tonnes of CO2.

They are projected to last at least 25 years.

The dean said: "We have to come to terms with the fact that the cathedral is one of the largest carbon emitters of all the religious buildings in the county because of its size and the number of people using it.

"Journeying towards net zero has been on our agenda for a number of years. But we're a Grade 1 listed building so we've got to be really careful that you won't be able to see the panels from the ground."

The dean said they hoped to have the panels in place by the summer.

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