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The initial plan in Hampshire was to become more ‘environmentally friendly’ by means of solar panels, set to be installed on roofs around Hampshire, has now been as good as scrapped. Housing bosses in Winchester have decided the installation of solar panels, which would generate electricity, promote sustainable living and have a financial benefit to the local council, is not as cost effective as they once perceived. Potentially through lack of foresight, the long-term maintenance solutions for Council owned properties were not considered until after the bids were retuned.
It was originally thought that a commercial company would pay for the installation and maintenance of the panels on 1000 -1500 homes around Hampshire with no cost on the council. After the installation process, the commercial company would receive Government incentives over a 25 year period if the electricity was fed to the Nation Grid. However, despite the bid being put out to tender, the council could not find any suitable applicants willing to offer an economically viable proposal.
A member of the Council was quoted as saying “The prices that came back from our tender were not what we were expecting. In fact, they were four times less than what we were thinking we would receive, which is quite a significant difference.
“The long-term financial viability of the scheme was brought into question. If we had to repair a roof, then the costs of doing so would be more than the financial benefit we would receive for having the panel there”
Due to the fact the Council was bound by EU legislation to offer the tender to all suitable companies in the EU, several viable applicants retracted their bid. The Council has now confirmed they may go ahead with a smaller scale scheme in Stanmore if this proposal is officially scrapped.
So what will happen to the solar panels? Self storage facilities can offer long and short term licence agreements for storage rental, and the units are quick and easy to access as well as being secure. Self storage units offer an optimum environment to ensure no damage is caused to any item being stored. It would be sensible for Hampshire Council to consider self storage as an option if they do decide to set-up up a small-scale solar panel project. 
On a long-term basis self storage, due to its flexible nature, could be utilised throughout any maintenance projects being carried out on Council owned properties with solar panels as part of their structure. Self storage facilities are centrally located and would provide an ideal working base for Council operatives carrying out essential maintenance work.
