Six bin lorries in Stockport will now be powered by solar panels following Stockport Council’s link-up with a leading local technology company.
The plans for solar-powered waste collection vehicles are hoped to help Stockport Council reach its target to be net zero by 2030.
In 2021, the council launched its ‘Climate Action Now’ (CAN) plan which underpins a strategy to achieve net zero emissions through reducing the level of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and infrastructure, promoting and enabling active travel and the use of public transport. promoting a less wasteful, low carbon economy and increasing renewable energy supply across the borough.
In partnership with Totally Local Company, Stockport Council is working to create a more sustainable borough and has teamed up with TRAILAR to revolutionise its bin lorry fleet.
TRAILAR is the market leader in solar transport technology, with the mission to make commercial vehicles ‘greener’.
It will fit ultra-thin solar panels to the roof space of existing or new vehicles. The fitted technology actively reduces the vehicle’s emissions by reducing fuel consumption, with solar energy powering all onboard electrical equipment.
TRAILAR has now been installed on six bin lorries operated by Totally Local Company in Stockport.
It is estimated that by using this solar technology each of these trucks will save up to 400 litres of fuel and more than 1,000KG of carbon emissions each year.
In addition, there may also be other potential savings brought about by the benefits of improved battery care and a vehicle tracking system that allows performance to be checked in real-time through the systems telematics platform.
Cllr Mark Roberts, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment at Stockport Council, said: “We want Stockport to be carbon neutral by 2038 and we’re working hard to make it a greener, smarter more enterprising place. When the opportunity was presented to work with a local firm and their market-leading environmental technology we couldn’t turn it down.
“This technology harnesses solar energy to reduce the volume of fuel required to generate the power that runs all on-board electrical equipment minimising the vehicle’s emissions.
“The TRAILAR telematics platform will allow us to accurately gauge the benefit that Stockport is obtaining from Solar. We are really looking forward to working with the TRAILAR team.”
TRAILAR supports more than 100 commercial fleets in 15 countries around the world to reduce their environmental impact, supporting them to tackle emissions as well as providing valuable communications insight.
Ian Hulme, Business Development Manager at TRAILAR, added: “I’m really pleased that TRAILAR has now started to support the decarbonisation of the refuse truck fleet in Stockport. I’m looking forward to working closely with Stockport Council and Totally Local Company to increase the fleet’s utilisation of our solar technology, to tackle air quality and fossil fuel emissions.”
