Solar Panel Installation commences at Chester Cathedral

This week, Chester Cathedral will undertake a significant step towards reducing its carbon footprint by installing roof-mounted solar panels to the ancient monastic building.  

Chester Cathedral is the principal place of Christian worship in Cheshire and the largest heritage site in Chester, welcoming over 300,000 visitors per year. Costs to fuel historic buildings such as the Cathedral are always high and Chester Cathedral – which relies principally on public donations – is no exception.  
 
The Church of England, in recognising the climate emergency called on all parts of the Church to become net zero carbon by 2030.  The solar panels is one part of the Cathedral’s activity towards becoming net zero carbon.   
 

The solar panels themselves will be in three sections on the Cathedral roof and will be able to provide a significant portion of the electricity required to run the site, generating a reduction of approximately 12.39 tCO₂ each year. 

Dean of Chester, the Very Revd Dr Tim Stratford says 

“Chester Cathedral is the mother church of the Diocese of Chester and has a responsibility to be sustainable.  For us, sustainability includes ensuring that we are doing everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint and lessen our negative impact on our planet.  It also means ensuring that we can fund the essential work carried out on our magnificent cathedral.  The installation of solar panels on the roof will achieve both aims, in reducing the amount of fossil fuels burnt to heat our building; and in the longer-term reducing the cost required to provide this fuel.   

Work to install the solar panels begins on Thursday 7 July and will continue throughout the month.