E.ON's Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station has become a little greener following the installation of an innovative solar array.

The company has installed a 68 panel solar photovoltaic array at the power station to help heat and light the admin block, saving an estimated 6.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

Christine Smith, Environment and Chemistry Team Leader at the station, said: "We believe this is the first solar array on a working power station in the UK and it's certainly a first for E.ON, which is very exciting.

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"We've been able to take advantage of the skills and expertise of all sorts of people across the E.ON business to make the project a success. And we think it's a great way to show how new, renewable technology can be integrated with the more traditional way of generating electricity and how successful such a pairing can be."

Photovoltaic cells works by converting sunlight into electricity. As the sunlight strikes the cells, a portion of the light is absorbed by the semi-conductor material in our case this is silicon. The energy from the sunlight knocks the electrons loose within the cells and increases the state of energy allowing the electrons to flow freely. The current created by the flow of the electrons can then be drawn on for use externally.

(CD/JM)