Solar panel trial on a fire engine

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) are trialling a solar panel installation (from TRAILAR) on top of the cab compartment of one of the fire engines based at the Gloucester North Station.

The solar panel is part of a trial to provide supplementary charge the vehicle battery which in turn should give the following benefits:

• Improved battery and alternator life
• Improved fuel efficiency
• Reduced electricity use from the grid.

Longer-term benefits of the trial could include:

• Scope to expand this to mobile maintenance vans and electric vans incoming to the fleet.
• Potential for further PV on other GFRS fire appliances.
• Helps to improve the environmental sustainability of the current vehicles ran by GFRS and the transition to electric.

 The installations have been successfully used in other sectors on a range of vehicle types.