Swindon Borough Council’s wholly owned subsidiary, Public Power Solutions (PPS), has begun operating a solar farm which will provide power to the council’s recycling centre’s solid recovered fuel (SRF) plant and depot.
The council expects that the 2.5MW Barnfield Solar Farm, which has been built on a former landfill site, will save it £185,000 a year.
Councillor Maureen Penny, cabinet member for highways and the environment, said: “This is the latest example of how, using PPS, we have been able to use renewable energy to reduce our carbon footprint, which is a top priority for us.”
Swindon’s SRF plant is the first of its kind for a council.
It processes refuse from local companies and households, and allows Swindon to divert 97% of its domestic rubbish from landfill.
