Let’s hope sunshine is coming our way soon as Bath Sports & Leisure Centre is set to benefit from energy saving measures with the installation of rooftop solar photo voltaic (PV) panels following a successful funding application by Bath & North East Somerset Council.
The council has been awarded £173,166 from Phase II (Capital) of the government’s Swimming Pool Support Fund (SPSF), which funds capital investment to improve the energy efficiency of public facilities with pools.
Subject to confirmation from a roof survey, up to 212 kilowatt peak (kWp) solar PV array will be installed on the central roof area of Bath Sports & Leisure Centre which is managed by GLL. An estimated 124kWp is required to provide the electricity needed for the swimming pools with the additional array potentially providing electricity for future air source pumps that may be installed as part of a longer-term decarbonisation plan for the building.
Installing the solar PV is expected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 23.04 tonnes and save £41,000 in energy costs each year.
Councillor Oli Henman, cabinet project lead for Climate Emergency and Sustainability, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding, which will help us take the next step forward in our ambition to decarbonise our council buildings and generate renewable energy. It will reduce the energy consumption of the building and cut the carbon output, helping us to achieve our Net Zero goal by 2030 and achieve our targets of a minimum of 300MW district-wide renewable energy generating capacity and 12MW installed capacity on the corporate estate.”
Barnaby Rich, partnership manager for GLL, the charitable social enterprise that operates Bath Sports and Leisure Centre on behalf of the council, said: “This funding from Sport England is a huge boost for the leisure centre and we are very grateful for the support provided by Bath & North East Somerset Council in helping to secure this significant financial award. We will now be able to reduce our operating costs and harness green energy. Both crucial measures that align both with GLL’s commitment to ‘Respecting the Planet’ and the council’s Carbon Net Zero ambitions.”
The Swimming Pool Support Fund is being administered by Sport England and £20m of Lottery funding was also made available to complement the government’s £40m SPSF capital fund. More than 700 facilities applied for the funding with a total funding ask of four times the amount available.
Lisa Dodd-Mayne, executive director – Place at Sport England, said: “Swimming pools and leisure centres are vital community resources and are enormously important in helping people to be physically active. Many pools have faced a real and significant threat to their survival this year, as local authorities and operators have battled the challenge of increased energy and wider costs, weakened reserves and difficulties with retaining staff. Sport England is proud of the role we’ve played in supporting these facilities through this difficult period. We hope the funding announcement will enable more public pools to improve their energy efficiency to be more environmentally and financially sustainable, so they remain available for future generations to enjoy.”
Whilst the use of solar panels on the sports centre is to be applauded, there is a far greater source of free heat that is currently being mostly dumped into the River Avon. The source has been partly capitalised by the Abbey Footprint Project, but the vast majority of energy is still available even after the Abbey has taken its needs. I am of course referring to the main drain from the Roman Baths. Heat energy could be available 24/7 via insulated pipes across the North Parade Bridge, not just on cloudless days, and could provide all the heating necessary for the pool. I wonder if anyone has ever considered such a project?