Town Council’s green energy project to save thousands of pounds

Welshpool Town Council’s new headquarters will be powered by free electricity that will save the town’s council tax payers tens of thousands of pounds over the next 25 years.

Following an initiative driven by Cllr Dr Ben Gwalchmai, who represents Labour, solar panels will be placed on the Tourist Information Centre where the Town Council switched its headquarters to following a £320,000 refurbishment project last year.

The cost of installing the panels and its battery will be met by the Carno Wind Farm’s Windfall (Mid Wales Community Energy Trust) and could save around £60,000 in electricity bills for the scheme’s 25-year life cycle based on current prices.

And Cllr Gwalchmai (pictured) believes there could be enough power generated by this, and future green energy schemes, to be sold back to the National Grid to power a Community Wealth Fund for the town in future.

“We all know that the climate crisis is causing our weather to change and our environment to suffer. It is both hotter and wetter now, affecting all of us and all of the ways we use energy – this is why I’m delighted that I was successful in my application to Windfall and that the Town Council can lead by example in Welshpool,” he said.

“This is just the first step in my plan to create a Smart Local Energy System for Welshpool. In time, I aim to have more renewable installations creating electricity that we can sell back to the grid. When they reach a certain level of operation, we can establish a Community Wealth Fund that not only aids in keeping the Town Council running but can be applied to by local groups.

“If you’d like to help with these installations, please do get in touch with me via Welshpool Town Council.”

As the town’s Digital Champion, Cllr Gwalchmai last year organised the installation of free wifi for the town and delivered it six months ahead of schedule.