The region’s first solar-powered bus shelters are on their way after Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority gave the go ahead to the environmentally-friendly initiative.
Members of the Authority’s Policy Committee have released £100,000 to fit new solar-powered lighting systems to 49 bus shelters across the region.
Roof-mounted solar panels will generate electricity during the day which is then stored in batteries to light up the bus shelter at night-time. The lights at the stop are activated by sensors and only come on when there is someone at the stop so that the stored energy is used as efficiently as possible.
As well as improving passenger safety, the plan is estimated to cut down greenhouse gas emissions by more than 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the Committee, said: “Solar-powered bus shelters might sound like an odd idea for an area of the country where is rains a lot but they don’t need direct sunlight to be effective. They work by storing up light during the day and then using it as power at night.
“It is very important that there is good lighting at shelters as it helps people feel safe while they wait for their bus. Solar-powered systems are ideal for those sites which can’t be easily connected to mains electricity. But as they’re also good for the environment and cost-effective we want to see them used much more widely in the future.”
The environmentally-friendly shelters will be the first in Greater Manchester and follow the success of a trial at two bus stops last year. The 49 shelters chosen have been recently installed as part of the Authority’s bus shelter programme.
Discussions are also underway with Greater Manchester’s major shelter supplier, JC Decaux, about installing more solar-powered shelters across the county.
The solar-power systems are expected to be in place at shelters later this year. A full installation programme will be reported to the Authority’s next Bus Shelter Sub-Committee.
