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Kelvin Hall to install 1,000 solar panels on roof

Glasgow City Council The Kelvin Hall - a red sandstone building in Glasgow. A modern glass annex is added onto the side of the historic building. Glasgow City Council
The rooftop array of solar panels on the Kelvin Hall will be the largest in Glasgow

Glasgow's Kelvin Hall is set to install 1,000 solar panels across its roof in January.

The collection of solar panels on the council-owned multi-purpose building will be the largest rooftop array in Glasgow and one of the biggest in Scotland.

The latest phase of solar panel installation in the city also includes five primary schools and two daycare centres, where installation work is already complete.

It is hoped the rooftop arrays will save more than £183,000 on energy bills each year.

Originally built in 1927, the Kelvin Hall has hosted a range of sporting events, concerts and exhibitions, including Elton John and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

It is now home to collections, temporary displays and teaching and research facilities, as well as sport halls and a Glasgow Club health and fitness centre.

Solar panels have already been installed on 33 buildings across Glasgow in recent years as part of the council's plan to increase the use of sustainable energy.

The buildings included in this phase of installation are Castleton, Camstradden, Dalmarnock, Haghill and St Bernard's primary schools, as well as Mallaig Road Daycare, Muirhead Road Daycare and the Kelvin Hall.

Glasgow City Council Three men wearing white hard hats and yellow hi-vis jackets holding a solar panel on the roof a school. Glasgow City Council
New solar panels are expected to cut energy bills on eight buildings across Glasgow, including Haghill Primary School

The council said the solar panels, which have an expected life span of 25 years, will have paid for themselves in about six to seven years.

It comes after Glasgow's council matched a £522,000 loan from the Scotland Recycling Fund scheme delivered by Salix on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The loan will be repaid using energy savings made from a reduced electricity bill, according to the council.

Councillor Angus Miller said: "Vacant land is increasingly at a premium within Glasgow and so it makes sense to utilise the available space on roofs across our built estate.

"Installing solar on panels on buildings allows those buildings to benefit directly from the renewable energy that is produced and this helps us maximise the financial return of our investment.

"Wherever possible we will install solar panels on our estate and we are currently looking at multiple locations throughout the city where solar can be introduced."

A feasibility study for installations at 37 more locations is currently under way, according to the council.