For centuries, historic churches have served as the heart of their communities.
Today, St Oswald’s Church, our treasured landmark here in Ashbourne, extends that tradition of stewardship by embracing clean, renewable energy, with the installation of a solar panel array.
The new solar installation will allow the church to reduce its carbon footprint, cut energy costs, and generate clean electricity not only for its own needs, but also to support the wider Ashbourne community by feeding back solar produced electricity into the grid.
Balancing modern sustainability with historic preservation requires extensive collaboration. The project is being delivered following careful planning alongside heritage bodies, to ensure our building’s architectural integrity remains entirely uncompromised. Through careful design and sensitive installation, the solar array will integrate discreetly onto the site, proving that historic conservation and modern green technology can coexist harmoniously.
Churches have always existed to serve their communities for generations. By adopting solar energy, St Oswald’s is preserving its shared heritage while actively protecting the environment. This project demonstrates that even the most historic buildings can play a vital role in tackling climate change.
As climate action becomes increasingly urgent, St Oswald’s stands as a beacon of how tradition and innovation can work hand in hand, creating compatibility between heritage and sustainability.
We are delighted, as a church, to be working with the National Lottery Heritage fund to enable this exciting project to become a reality.
We’ll be sharing updates weekly in the newsletter, on our website and with the Derby Diocese.