A key attraction in the centre of Newport will receive just over £78,000 to help with reducing carbon emissions thanks to a Welsh government grant.
Newport City Council has successfully applied to the government’s Transformation Capital Grant fund to install solar panels on the roof of the Newport Museum and Art Gallery.
The grant will also fund the upgrading of the lighting in the art gallery to LED, a much more energy efficient option.
The work will reduce the building’s emissions by an estimated 15 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year, with the solar panels generating almost 45,000kWh of clean energy each year.
Maximising energy generation from solar panels is one of the actions in the council’s Organisational Climate Change Plan. The plan sets out the work we will do over the next five years to reduce our carbon emissions as we aim towards becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
The news of the grant has been announced on International Museum Day, which this year is celebrating the power of museums to affect positive change in their communities.
Commenting on the news, Councillor Jane Mudd, leader of the council, said: “I’m delighted that we have been awarded this grant to help improve one of our key city centre attractions.
“We have already taken the lead as a council in this area, working with Welsh government energy service and Egni Co-operative to install solar panels on the roofs of 27 of our buildings. and I’m pleased that we’re able to add the Museum and Art Gallery to the list.
“The Museum is one of the cornerstones of our heritage offer, and it is great that we can celebrate International Museum Day by showing how it is helping contribute to a carbon free future for Newport and Wales.
“Climate change is the defining issue of our generation, and we all need to do our bit to tackle it. Actions such as this are some of the practical steps we can take as a council to do our bit, and we thank Welsh government for their support in making this possible.”
