Solar tech installed in North East Derbyshire sports centre

North East Derbyshire District Council says that newly installed solar tech will save thousands of pounds a year for a sports centre in the district. 

The 200 solar panels on the roof of Dronfield Sports Centre will offset 25% of the energy used by the centre, with work also including the replacement of gas boilers with air source heat pumps.

Cllr Jeremy Kenyon, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: ‘It’s fantastic to be here today to see all the amazing work that has gone into delivering this project, which will massively reduce not just the carbon footprint of the centre, but also the running costs. 

‘Climate Change, saving money and saving energy are big concerns for our residents and this project demonstrates how seriously our authority is taking them.’ 

Owned by the council, the centre used £1.33m funding designated for de-carbonisation for the project which was secured by the council as part of the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme last year. 

Eckington Swimming Pool, which is also council owned, has also seen the successful completion of decarbonisation work recently. 

Further improvements to the Dronfield centre include cavity wall insulation to reduce heat loss and the installation of energy efficient LED lighting throughout the centre. 

The PSDS is being delivered by Salix, a non-departmental public body that delivers funds on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Jake Helliwell, the Programme Co-ordinator for Salix, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with North East Derbyshire District Council on this exciting scheme. 

‘It’s very encouraging to see what a positive impact this will make on the leisure centre and everyone who uses it. As someone who is from the area and grew up using the centre, it is great to see the tangible changes now being made in response to the climate emergency.’ 

As councils seek to find innovative ways to use tech to cut down on energy costs at leisure centres, UK start up Deep Green recently revealed its ‘digital boiler’ tech which can utilise energy created from data centres to heat pools.

Photo by Nuno Marques