VARIOUS branches of the South London police have received £22,000 thanks to the installation of solar panels on police stations.
The money comes after the Met registered for the Department of Energy and Climate Change's Feed in Tariff scheme which pays those who invest in the renewable energy generators.
Last year panels were installed on police buildings in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham, Gravesend, Deptford, Bromley and Sutton.
The £22,000 received is for electricity generated between December 2011 and September 2012 from Lambeth, Lewisham, Deptford and Sutton police stations- and there will be further quarterly payments for the next 25 years.
Neil Grange, head of carbon management for the Met, said: "We are always looking at ways to become more sustainable and this scheme has the added bonus that we are able to use our roof space and generate an income from solar energy.
"The Met is a huge organisation and has a duty to reduce its carbon footprint as much as possible. We are working on a range of projects to that end."
The solar panel scheme works by the electricity supplier paying the Met for each unit of electricity generated. As solar panels have been installed at the Met's large energy-intensive buildings, it's likely they will use all the energy generated but any extra will be bought back by the supplier.
Electricity for the police stations is still also supplied in the traditional way but bills will significantly fall now they are generating their own power.
Last year the Met completed 35 energy efficiency projects that are forecast to save £380,000 and reduce carbon emissions by approximately 1,500 tonnes a year.
As well as the solar panels, projects to make the Met's buildings more environmentally-friendly have included improving lighting, adding occupancy sensors and installing voltage reduction equipment. There are also projects to reduce emissions associated with vehicle use and air travel.
The financial savings from these projects are recycled back into funding future schemes.
