Solar panels upgrade transforms council nursery

Almost 6,500 sq ft (600 sq m) of rooftop solar panels have been installed at a council-run garden centre, in an effort to cut energy costs and carbon emissions.

The 205,000 sq ft (19,000 sq m) Arium in Whinmoor, Leeds, is believed to be the largest council-run plant nursery in the country, having been operated by Leeds City Council since 1956.

Officials estimate the panels will generate 119,294 kWh of clean electricity each year - an average home uses 2,700 kWh annually, according to energy regulator Ofgem.

Councillor Mohammed Rafique, said the authority was "not only reducing emissions and energy bills, but also creating healthier, more sustainable public spaces for our communities."

Plants grown at The Arium provide flowers and plants for display across Leeds.

Rafique, the authority's executive member for climate, energy, environment and green space, said the new initiative was "a major step forward in our mission to become the UK's first net zero city".

The project forms part of a wider package of corporate solar schemes supported by Great British Energy and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) Mayoral Renewables Fund.

The installation of solar panels at the Arium would be followed by gas boilers being replaced by air source heat pumps, officials said.

A council spokesperson said more than 30 sites owned by the authority, and in excess of 30 schools in Leeds, were already "partly powered by solar panels".

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