A Huntingdonshire cricket club is embracing green technology with its newly acquired solar panels.

Eaton Socon Cricket Club used a grant of £35,335 from the Cambridgeshire Priorities Capital Fund to buy and install the panels.

These will advance their pursuit of achieving net-zero carbon emissions and reduce their energy costs which tripled amidst the cost-of-living crisis.

The installation is the latest in a series of sustainability measures by the club, which include refurbishing facilities for water conservation and shifting to LED lighting.

The club previously produced nearly 3,000 kg of CO2 emissions per year from their electricity use, but now predicts 66 per cent of their electricity will come from the solar panels.

Club uses grant for solar panels reducing energy costs Club uses grant for solar panels reducing energy costs (Image: Submitted)

This will also allow the club to export surplus electricity back to the grid, saving an estimated 3,750 kg of CO2 annually.

This equates to a significant yearly financial saving for the well-respected club.

Councillor Alex Bulat, vice-chair of Cambridgeshire County Council’s Communities, Social Mobility and Inclusion Committee, said: “I am delighted that we were able to award Eaton Socon Cricket Club with the funds they needed for their solar panels.

“They’ve estimated it would take around 170 trees to absorb the equivalent carbon emissions that their new solar panels will save each year.

“Our vision for a greener Cambridgeshire is ambitious – net zero carbon emissions by 2045."

READ MORE: Schools across Huntingdonshire come together for Dorset Jurassic Coast walk

Rob Ashwell, Chairman of Eaton Socon Cricket Club, sees this as a meaningful step on a larger path.

He said: The installation of solar panels works in conjunction with our evolving net zero plans and allows us to take another huge step forward on our journey of tackling the climate crisis and supporting Cambridgeshire’s plans for net zero carbon emissions in our county by 2045.”

The club is among 26 community groups in Cambridgeshire that were awarded green grants by the council earlier this year.