1000 Year-Old Castle Installs Solar Panels
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 02. 8.08
We wonder what John’s un-green zombies would make of Dunster Castle in the UK, a 1,000 year-old Grade 1 listed building that has installed solar panels in its battlements in an effort to fight that most dangerous of foes, climate change. The move is part of efforts by the National Trust, which manages many of Britain’s historic sites, to take serious steps to tackle climate change and reduce its environmental impact. The Trust also recently came out in favour of increased protection for peat bogs, which are important carbon sinks and wildlife habitats, and has even been involved in bombing key bogs with bales of heather seeds in an effort to reverse their decline. So far, it seems, the Trusts efforts at Dunster Castle have avoided the attentions of the zombies, partially due to the ‘discreet’ installation of the panels. A spokesperson set out the reasoning behind the moves:
“It's a big, draughty place. We don't have cavity walls and we don't have double glazing. Dunster is 1,000 years old and back then they weren't really thinking about the environment. These panels will demonstrate how we can harness renewable energy even from hugely important conservation sites without affecting their special character.”
We look forward to seeing many more historic buildings entering the era of clean, green energy – after all, we’d hope that future generations can stick around to enjoy our heritage too. ::The National Trust::via The Guardian::
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cool post. We have included it in our green blog round-up at www.mygreenelement.com
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The 24 photo-voltaic panels will provide a significant source of renewable energy to the castle, the equivalent of the energy consumed by two ordinary family homes, and will reduce the castle’s carbon footprint.