Green group aims for 100 solar powered homes in Marlow

12:30pm Tuesday 9th March 2010

By James Nadal

ONE hundred homes across Marlow will be powered by the sun if a green organisation’s drive is successful.

Transition Town Marlow wants a ton of households to sign up to its solar panel scheme.

The organisation has teamed up with renewable electricity supplier Good energy in an ambitious project designed to make Marlow a 'low-carbon community' and more energy self-sufficient.

If it reaches the 100 target all households will benefit from a 20 per cent reduction in the cost.

TTM member Philip Ditchfield, head of the solar energy project, insisted solar panels could prove efficient to save people money.

“We are looking at eight or nine years to get their return on their investment. It varies from house to house, people who may use more hot water or have more children.”

Mr Ditchfield, a licensing manager at Glaxosmithkline, believes it will be become a better investment than putting money in a building society thanks to new ‘feed-in-tariffs’ put forward by the Government.

They will reward householders for installing photovolatiac (PV) solar panels will make it solar panels increasingly worthy of investment.

Mr Ditchfield, who has a background in aeronautical engineering, hailed the move “a truly huge step forward in Great Britain” and said “the timing couldn’t be better” to coincide with the solar project.

He added: “We hope that many Marlow residents take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and help us kick-start the transition to a low carbon future.”

The Mayor of Marlow, Neil Marshall, already has solar panels on his own property.

He said: “This project will help us move forward into the 21st century with a new wave of confidence in Marlow as an early adopter of the sort of renewable energy technologies that are necessary, inevitable and desirable.”

Good Energy spokesman Hugo House said: “Marlow is a pioneering town, setting a great example of how individuals can work together on making the transition to a low carbon community.

“Marlow’s campaign is simple but effective and Good Energy is committed to help make it a great success.”

A public meeting will be held on March 30 at Sir William Borlase’s Grammar School where questions can be put to Transition Town Marlow, Good Energy and the technology installers.

Meanwhile, the group have hit out at being labelled 'quasi religious' by a climate change sceptic - see related articles below.

For more details about the project and how to sign up visit www.transitionmarlow.org