Suffolk golf club plans to use only renewable energy

A golf club in Suffolk has said it has plans to become the first in the UK to be run entirely on renewable energy.

Fynn Valley Golf Club has installed 100 solar panels on its greenkeeper shed, which will create a saving of roughly £10,000 each year.

“We want to be the first golf club in the UK which is run on entirely renewable energy,” explained Robert Cawley, Fynn Valley’s managing director.

The club was owned and run by the Tyrell family since its inception in 1991, until it was sold to Green Valley Leisure Resorts last year.

The club celebrated the anniversary by unveiling a brand-new solar farm installed on the roof of its greenkeeper equipment shed.

Image from Twitter

These 100 solar panels run at 45 kilowatt hours and will save roughly £10,000 a year.

A screen monitoring the output of the panels was unveiled by Dr Daniel Poulter, MP for central Suffolk and north Ipswich.

The club has also upgraded its existing lodges, which are now complete with both saunas and hot tubs, and added another, the Orchid Lodge.

Solar panels will be added to the roofs of the lodges in the future, and Cawley said he is keen to explore harnessing wind energy, too.

Now, plans are underway to expand the golf club building to create a new restaurant, which will offer refined evening cuisine, and to add a first floor balcony.

The club was voted England Golf’s most welcoming golf club in 2017, and has worked to maintain this reputation.

Earlier this year The Belfry said it aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.