Leeds to develop the UK’s first solar power transport system

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The city of Leeds, South Yorkshire, has given the green light for a £38.5 million project to revolutionise the city’s transport infrastructure by introducing a solar-powered park-and-ride bus service, equipped with 1,200 vehicle spaces and secure cycle storage. The park-and-ride will be fitted with solar panels and battery storage so it can generate and store the energy needed to charge the electric busses which will have routes spanning the whole city.

Solar Power Bus Service

This will effectively make this transport centre completely carbon neutral. The energy generated from the solar panels will also have enough juice to power up to 26 electric vehicle charging points which the public will be able to use.

Councillor Kim Groves, Transport Lead for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said “Enhanced public transport links will not only enable firms to attract high calibre staff from across the south and east of Yorkshire but also significantly improve the daily commute for those already employed in Leeds.” 

A solar-powered solution to a modern problem…

It’s clear that Leeds has taken a massive step into the 21st century by pushing ahead with this new green energy development. As the 2030 deadline for the ban on new petrol or diesel cars approaches, we should all be coming to terms and planning for what we are going to do when we can no longer buy a cheap, fossil fuel car and drive that to work.

Projects like this will provide a crucial lifeline for locals to access the city in a modern world. By utilising a park-and-ride like this you can drive your electric car into the car park, stick it on a charge, catch the bus into work, then by the time you’ve caught the bus back, your car will be fully charged, allowing you to drive home with the peace of mind that your journey today has been completely powered by clean, green, renewable energy. 

It’s not just about electric vehicles…

By introducing more clean transport systems like this we may be able to completely clear up our towns and city centres from jammed up unhealthy traffic at multiple points of the day. Not only would this help to reduce carbon emissions but it will also help to improve air quality and journey times through the city centres as there will be a dramatic reduction in cars clogging up the roads.

By backing a plan like this, Leeds has set a great example to the rest of the UK of what we should be doing to help reduce our carbon footprint on a city-wide scale. 

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