Whitchurch Town Council has announced it has installed solar panels on top of the market hall roof.

The confirmation was made at the full town council on Thursday, where Councillor Simon Hamlyn – who has taken the lead on the project – confirmed the main details to his fellow councillors.

The council believes the benefits it will bring to Whitchurch, and that the panels were installed during a government-subsidy qualification period , making it a win-win' situation.

"[We] have taken a bold and forward thinking step by installing 30kW of solar PV panels on the roof of the market hall south-facing roof," said a council spokesman.

"This measure will help contribute towards the reduction in UK C02 emissions and to also generate additional income for the town. The decision was preceded by a WRAP funded renewable energy study that helped assess the most suitable location.

"After a robust procurement process, Princes LHS Ltd from Ellesmere were selected to install the panels which they did in record time in order to ensure the town council qualified for the government’s renewable subsidy while it was still available.

"Solar PV or photovoltaics generate electric power by using solar cells to convert energy from the sun into a flow of electrons using the photovoltaic effect. The solar cells produce direct current electricity from sunlight which can be used as an energy source.

"The good news for Whitchurch is that unlike traditional energy generation such as coal or gas, when PV solar panels create electricity, they don't emit harmful greenhouse gases, pollute groundwater or deplete any natural resources.

"In addition, this project will help protect the planet by cutting back on the UK’s dependence on non-renewable energy which must be a good thing.

And finally a myth buster… solar panels do produce electricity in cloudy weather – up to 10-25 per cent of their typical output compared to a sunny day!

"So it is a win, win, win for Whitchurch Town Council and residents of the town, not only can we use the electricity as it is generated, we also get a Feed-in tariff, so get paid to generate the power and it is green energy, therefore good for our community and planet."

For more details around the panels and their benefit to the town, contact the Town Clerk at clerk@whitchurchcouncil.uk