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6 News


THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 6 2017


Follow us on Twitter @pembsherald


Solar village receives official opening


A new model: Eco friendly solar village near Cardigan unveiled by Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths Dan Muller


THE FIRST ever solar village


in Wales has been officially opened this week (Jan 5) in Glanrhyd, near Cardigan. Pentre Solar, a six-house


hamlet situated in Rhosygilwen, was unveiled on Thursday by Environment Secretary Lesley Griffiths, who said it would provide much-needed housing and


dan.muller@herald.email


assist in tackling fuel poverty. The development has been


widely lauded for its innovative approach towards energy usage and affordability. Funded by private sector company Western Solar, each


home will use just 12% in energy compared to a traditional home. Available for those on council


housing registers, each three- bedroom property has a modern design featuring a fitted kitchen, superfast broadband, satellite and Freeview TV connections, a landscaped garden and, perhaps most innovative of all, access to a shared electric car. With 80% of heating needs


provided by solar energy, tenants will also experience extremely low energy costs. Moreover, each all- timber home features 11-inch-thick insulation. Back in late October last year,


The Herald was able to speak with Western Solar CEO Dr Glen Peters. Describing Pentre Solar’s ethos


as ‘small little hamlets’, Dr Peters said: “There is unlimited demand for this – there are so many people in dire need of good quality housing.”


When discussing challenges


faced by Western Solar to continue this housing trend, he added: “Most available land to build on has been snapped by developers. For a house to be affordable, you can’t have a plot that costs fifty to a hundred grand.” Building on this point regarding


challenges faced, Dr Peters said: “This is not a traditional build, this is not bricks and mortar, so building societies don’t want to lend. There is a physical barrier that we need to overcome about all timber houses.” Emphasising a theme of


sustainability, he stated: “The concept of recycling is very much our core proposition. We’re recovering paper and using that as


insulation; it is all about trying to recycle, either land, insulation or timber.” Western Solar is hopeful it will


be able to build 1,000 sustainable, affordable UK homes as part of its 10 year plan. A three year plan is also being


operated, which will hopefully see some 100 homes built around Dyfed. Reflecting on Pentre Solar, Dr


Peters said: “I’m very pleased. It is one of those things with any project, you go through enthusiasm, excitement, and then you reach a point where you feel destroyed, and then finally you see light through a tunnel.” “The reality is absolutely


amazing.”


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