Players Theatre Goes Solar

The Players Theatre has installed solar panels on the theatre’s roof as part of a plan to become more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

The work, completed within four weeks, involved stripping off the tiles on the south-west facing roof, installing 26 solar panels in two rows, and replacing the roof tiles. As the final element, a battery, and inverter were installed.

The solar panels will produce a sizeable reduction in electricity costs over the next few years. Electricity is a major cost for all theatres, due to the ongoing need for show lighting and heating. The theatre is an evening venue, so the solar battery will convert and store energy produced by the solar panels by day for later use, offsetting the need for grid-supplied power. This will lead to lower electricity bills and reduced carbon emissions.

A Helping Hand

The solar panels project would not have been possible without generous grant funding. Thame Players received grants from four sources:

• The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF), a government-backed scheme which funds capital projects for small businesses and community infrastructure, with the aim of improving productivity and strengthening the rural economy and rural communities;
• The Westmill Solar Cooperative, which has over 1,500 members who are passionate about the future of community renewable energy, combatting climate change by financing a reliable source of renewable energy, and helping the local area transition to a low-carbon future economy;
• Oxfordshire County Council’s Councillor Priority Fund, whose aim is to support councillor priorities in their local areas; and
• South Oxfordshire District Council’s Councillor Community Fund, which makes awards to projects or services that offer community benefits, such as promoting action on the climate emergency.

Mike Rochford, Chair of Thame Players, said, “We are conscious that, as one of Thame’s assets, we need to be responsible custodians, showing our audiences and the wider community that we are an environmentally responsible organisation that cares about our community’s future and that of the planet.

“This has been quite a journey but, before long, the theatre will be reaping the environmental and financial benefits from its new energy source, as we work towards reducing our carbon footprint. With lower overheads, the theatre will become more resilient, and we can put savings towards other uses, for example improving our facilities and the audience experience.”