Nearly 1,000 solar panels have now been fitted to three leisure facilities in North Yorkshire, with the council saying the project could save more than £2 million in electricity charges over 25 years.
The panels have been installed at Active North Yorkshire sites in Ripon and Thirsk, and at Whitby Leisure Centre. The work is intended to reduce running costs at energy-hungry public buildings while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
North Yorkshire Council says the savings can be redirected into other local services, rather than being absorbed by rising electricity bills.
Ripon, Thirsk and Whitby sites now have rooftop panels
The largest part of the leisure-centre rollout is at Whitby Leisure Centre, where more than 400 solar panels have been added. The site is currently operated by Everyone Active and is due to become part of Active North Yorkshire next year.
At Active North Yorkshire Ripon – The Jack Laugher Centre, 265 panels have been installed. A further 149 panels are now in place at Thirsk and Sowerby Leisure and Wellbeing Hub.
Together, the three buildings account for close to 1,000 panels. The council has not said that the sites will become fully self-powered, but the expectation is that the rooftop generation will reduce the amount of electricity each centre has to buy from the grid.
Leisure centres are among the more expensive public buildings to run because of lighting, heating, ventilation, gym equipment and, in some cases, pools or wet-side facilities. Even partial reductions in imported electricity can make a visible difference over a long operating period.
£2 million in projected electricity savings over 25 years
The council estimates that the panels at the three sites could contribute combined savings of more than £2 million in electricity charges over the next 25 years.
The same estimate also points to nearly 2,000 tonnes of carbon emissions being avoided over that period. Those figures are projections, so the final outcome will depend on factors such as electricity prices, panel performance, maintenance, weather patterns and how each building uses power through the day.
Council leader Cllr Carl Les said the installations would help generate energy more cheaply and reduce bills. He said the lower running costs would allow savings to be invested in other areas of need across North Yorkshire.
The financial case is especially relevant for leisure facilities because many councils have faced pressure to keep centres open while managing higher energy and staffing costs. Solar generation does not remove those pressures, but it can reduce one recurring cost line for buildings that serve large numbers of residents.
Mayoral renewables funding backed the work
The project has been delivered by York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, with funding from North Yorkshire Council and Great British Energy’s Mayoral Renewables Fund.
Mayor of York and North Yorkshire David Skaith allocated funding for solar panels on 16 community buildings across the region after a £1 million grant from Great British Energy. The leisure-centre installations in Ripon, Thirsk and Whitby form part of that wider programme.
Skaith said the aim was for community buildings to spend less on energy and more on supporting people. He also linked the work to the region’s ambition to become carbon negative by 2040.
That target is broader than this single installation programme. Solar panels on council-owned and community buildings are one practical route toward lowering emissions, but the carbon-negative goal will also depend on transport, housing, industry, land use and wider energy decisions across York and North Yorkshire.
Leisure investment plans continue beyond solar panels
The panel installation sits alongside a separate leisure investment strategy approved by North Yorkshire Council in November last year.
That strategy includes £36 million for four key sites, including Whitby, with funding focused on Active North Yorkshire sites in Selby and Skipton, plus centres in Pickering and Whitby that are currently operated by Everyone Active.
The Pickering and Whitby sites are due to become part of Active North Yorkshire in 2027. A further £3 million is planned for a phased upgrade of gym and fitness equipment across 12 additional leisure sites overseen by the council.
The solar work at Ripon, Thirsk and Whitby was overseen by contractor BCS Group. Operations director Adrian Veitch said the installations would reduce the running costs of the centres and support facilities used by local communities.
Source: North Yorkshire Council
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This article is based on North Yorkshire Council’s published update and separates confirmed figures from long-term projections.
- Checked the named facilities affected: Ripon, Thirsk and Whitby.
- Checked the reported panel counts where provided for each site.
- Checked that the £2 million and 2,000-tonne figures are 25-year estimates, not confirmed s...
- Checked the funding context linking North Yorkshire Council, York and North Yorkshire Comb...
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- 2026-05-28 16:36
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