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‘It does not always align sufficiently to provide an attractive financial return’
Just 11 of the Isle of Man Government's approximately 825 buildings have solar panels installed, with no plans for a significant expansion in the near future.
The figure, representing around 1.3% of the Government's property estate, was revealed by Infrastructure Minister Jason Moorhouse in response to a written question from Glenfaba and Peel MHK Katryna Baptist.
Mrs Baptist asked how many government-owned buildings had solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, what plans existed to increase installations and what financial returns were being achieved.
Mr Moorhouse confirmed there were currently no plans for a substantial increase in solar installations across government buildings in the short term.
He said: ‘While PV will continue to be considered where it is technically and financially appropriate, the operating profile of many Government buildings means that the electricity generated does not always align sufficiently with periods of demand to provide an attractive financial return.’
However, the Department of Infrastructure is working with Manx Utilities to explore the possibility of installing a solar array at the National Sports Centre (NSC) which would feed electricity directly into the grid.
Mr Moorhouse explained that solar power was being considered as part of a wider programme to decarbonise government buildings, rather than through a separate installation scheme.
A decarbonisation roadmap covering 336 buildings has been developed, identifying potential improvements and investment priorities through to 2050.
The roadmap outlines a potential investment programme of approximately £5m annually to reduce carbon emissions across the wider government estate.
However, Mr Moorhouse emphasised that this was ‘not a dedicated solar PV budget’.
Instead, funding would be prioritised across measures including insulation, LED lighting, improved building controls, low-carbon heating and solar panels where appropriate.
He said investment decisions would consider buildings' condition and future use, energy consumption, technical suitability and the potential financial and carbon savings.
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