Piddington is a small village six miles from the market town of Bicester. The village hall became the only social facility after the public house closed in 2013 and is well used by the local community. The Trustees felt that solar panels would be a useful addition to the hall with three main benefits: reduction in energy costs allowing hire rates to be kept at a reasonable level; reduce the carbon footprint of the hall and finally to enhance the status of the hall as a designated emergency hub by allowing storage of energy to maintain essential services.
The Village Hall Management Committee applied to Valencia Communities Fund for £38,928 towards the £40,428 cost of the project. The works were undertaken in the summer of 2023 with the installation of 22 solar panels, along with two inverters, and two 3.10Kwh batteries. The installation allowed the village hall to become self-sufficient in electricity use throughout the summer months. The hall is a designated reception centre for the local community and outlying areas in the event of a major power outage or other emergency incidents. The batteries will provide power for services in the hall when required.
As an added bonus, the solar panels allow for the export of surplus electricity back to the grid, providing a small income generation for the village hall to cover maintenance.
