With help from Biffa and TRAILAR, the local authority has installed solar mats on 20 of its refuse and recycling vehicles in advance of the summer months.

The project is a development of the council’s ‘Low Cost, Low Carbon’ programme which seeks to decrease energy consumption across the community.

According to the council, the solar mats power the vehicle’s electrical equipment such as the radio and air conditioning, decreasing the load on the alternator and cutting each vehicle’s diesel consumption by roughly 515 litres annually.

The fleet decarbonisation project is backed by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and has already seen ‘162kg of carbon emissions saved in just one day in late April’.

Cllr Will Roberts, Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood, said: ‘The Council is committed to further reducing the carbon emissions from our waste collection fleet.

‘These solar mats will provide a useful solution while we see out the lifespan of the existing fleet of diesel vehicles, after which time we will look to replace the diesel vehicles with low or zero emission alternatives.’

Alongside the reduction in CO2 emissions, the project will provide ‘benefits of improved battery care and a vehicle tracking system that allows performance to be checked in real time through the systems telematics platform’, added Adam Buckley Mayes, CTO of TRAILAR.

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