PLANS to install solar panels on two care homes have been proposed by Borough of Poole as part of an ongoing programme which could save the council tens of thousands every year.

Applications have been submitted for a 21kw generating station comprising solar panels across two sections of the pitched roof at Poole Day centre in Commercial Road, and 49kw generating panels across nine sections of the roof of the Sea View Centre in Croft Road.

It is the latest stage in £1.5million solar programme will see panels installed at council-owned buildings across Poole.

Since the installation at the Civic Centre multi-storey car park was completed in March last year, follow-on systems have been installed at the Sandbanks Beach Office, Oakdale Library, Broadstone Library and the Civic Centre Annexe.

In all 758 solar panels have been installed at five locations, but other sites in the pipeline include Ashdown and Rossmore Leisure Centres and Northmead House. The suitability of solar panels is also being explored at a number of other borough owned buildings.

So far the programme has been hailed a huge success, achieving considerable cost and carbon savings.

A spokesman for the solar panel programme told the Echo: "Over the course of the programme we expect to reduce the council’s CO2 emissions by more than 200 tonnes each year, the equivalent of 20 Bournemouth Hot Air Balloons.

"The results of the solar panels have exceeded expectations so far and we expect the panels to save Borough of Poole more than £18,000 annually from our electricity bills. Borough of Poole also expects to receive a similar amount each year in government feed-in tariff payments."

The panels on the Civic Centre alone can produce 135kW of energy at peak output, and last year produced 135,439kWh of electricity, 15000 more than forecast when it was installed. That equates to 13 per cent of the energy used at the Civic Centre.

While the newer panels have not been installed for long enough to make a definitive judgement, the 191kW of panels installed are expected to provide 181,450kWh of energy in all.

A spokesman for the programme added: "We are hopeful to complete the planned solar panel installations by the end of 2016. The Borough of Poole will continue to explore where solar panels can be financially viable within the local authority’s building stock and will develop other projects to enable the council to operate efficiently and cost effectively whilst reducing our environmental impact."