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Video: Solar powering Salford tower blocks
by Tom Rodgers
Vertical Villages is battling fuel poverty in Blackfriars, sorting new solar panels to fix to three of their tower blocks. The Tenants and Residents Association is celebrating this week after Black Friar Court, White Friar Court and Grey Friar Court received sun-powered fuel cells at the top of the 45-metre high blocks. Neil Holden from Forrest, who installed the panels, told us: "294 square metres of solar panels have been installed across the three towerblocks, with a peak output of 45 kilowatts, producing 35000 kilowatts of useable energy per year." Paul Dennison, co-chair of Vertical Villages, thinks around £100 per household per year could be saved from residents' fuel bills. They have been looking for a way to reduce their residents spending on fuel, as fuel poverty is a serious issue for low-income households and the elderly. Those on lower incomes often spend a higher proportion of their wages or pension on heating, power and lighting bills, and with fuel bills steadily rising over the past 10 years, many find it difficult to afford to pay the bills to keep themselves warm. Salford Council have now said that these Blackfriars towerblocks will be a test case for how the project could work elsewhere in the city. Paul Brodie, co-chair of the Vertical Villages association, said: "It's an idea we've been running for about three-and-a half years. We thought looking at the CIS building in Manchester, it's an iconic building and we thought, why can't the same be done for social housing?" This renewable energy will be used to light and power 15 communal areas in the three towerblocks. 264 apartments in the three blocks will benefit from the solar-powered lighting. The association will also be running an educational element at local schools, trying to raise awareness about saving energy. Forrest also say approximately 21,982kg of carbon will be saved from using the solar panels per year. This carbon reduction will help to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions. This is not the first time that Vertical Villages has made the news on SalfordOnline. In 2009 the forward-thinking residents association joined forces with three other local tenants and residents groups in the area to bid for £50,000-worth of funding for improving home security from the government's Safer Homes Fund. Lee McCarren, CEO of Forrest, said: "These installations are becoming an ideal arrangement for housing associations, because they reduces the carbon footprint while reducing fuel poverty to the elderly and vulnerable."
More on Forrest click here Vertical Villages website click here
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