Tender for photovoltaic panels on public buildings to be issued soon

A tender for 67,000 square metres of public building roofs to be covered with photo oltaic panels was to be issued in the coming days. These would generate the equivalent amount of energy used by 1,500 families, the Resources Ministry said.

It said in a statement that a total of 6,700 families in Malta and Gozo had invested in alternative energy equipment in the past two years.

Through government assistance, the ministry said, 3,940 families had invested in solar water heaters, 2,284 in photovoltaic panels, and 445 in double glazing and roof insulation.

These families were assisted with €9 million under different schemes and 2,084 had invested in the latest incentive encouraging families to invest in photovoltaic families.

Were these to be joined together, they would cover six football grounds.

Another initiative to encourage families invest in photo voltaic panels was a feed in tariff of €0.25c for each unit of electricity generated and sold to Enemalta in the next eight years.

Gozitan families would be getting €0.28c per unit.

The government also financially assisted families, through other schemes, to utilise more environmental friendly equipment which reduced electricity consumption.

Around 41,000 applied for financial help to buy such appliances. The government had also implemented its electoral promise of giving families a number of energy saving bulbs. One million bulbs were in fact distributed among 130,000 families. €4 million were invested in the scheme.

All these schemes were saving the country around €7 million in electricity generation annually.