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THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 6 2017
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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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