Solar Panels to Be Installed at Sussex Swimming Pools to Cut Carbon Emissions

Adur and Worthing Councils are set to install more than 300 solar panels at two local swimming pools as part of a significant sustainability initiative.

The project has been funded through a grant of over £170,000 from Sport England’s Swimming Pool Support Fund, which aims to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption in public leisure facilities across England.

The solar panels will be installed at Wadurs swimming pool in Shoreham and Splashpoint Leisure Centre in Worthing. At the Wadurs site, the 322 panels are expected to generate over 70 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity annually, sufficient to power the facility for nearly six months. Meanwhile, at Splashpoint, the panels are predicted to produce more than 60 MWh each year, enough to operate one of the pools’ pumps for a similar period.

The initiative is a key component of Adur and Worthing Councils’ broader mission to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and establish the area as net zero by 2045. Combined, the new solar installations are projected to save over 25 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, equating to the environmental benefit of planting 1,200 trees. The project, supported by South Downs Leisure, awaits final approval from the Worthing planning committee on August 21.