BP Solar replacing 330 faulty panels in U.K. installation

The Barnstaple Civic Centre in North Devon in the U.K. is getting free replacement solar panels following the discovery of a potential fault by manufacturer BP Solar.

The 330 panels, installed in April 2005, were part of a batch produced in 2004 that BP has found to be faulty, according to a report today in the North Devon Gazette.

Although the civic centre panels were tested and no faults found, BP Solar is replacing the panels at no cost to the council.

Work begins next Monday and is expected to take approximately three weeks.

"We have been assured that the new panels will be a higher specification and more efficient, at no cost to the council or the tax-payer," said council engineering manager Dave Wareing.

Since being installed, the council estimates that the solar panels have produced 63.7 MW hours of electricity and prevented 27.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. Surplus power is fed back into the national grid.

BP is to refund the council with the loss of electrical input to the grid while the panels are out of action. They're also providing compensation for the loss of parking revenue and staff time to coordinate the procedures.

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