A COMMUNITY-owned solar array in Leominster has been cleaned for the first time since it was launched five years ago.

The Leominster Solar Co-Operative was the second co-op of its type in the UK at the time of its inception at Bridge Street Sports Centre.

Since its crowdfunding campaign in 2011, the array has delivered green energy into the grid, benefiting Leominster residents and helping the council and Halo Leisure meet their green targets.

Each year it generates around the same amount of energy that 12 family homes would consume.

Ben Whittle, a director on the board of the Co-Op who also runs Hay-on-Wye based Specialist Energy, organised the cleaning operation.

He said: "It’s very important that people consider keeping their PV systems in good condition. Dirty arrays can sometimes lose up to 20 per cent of their output, so cleaning and testing are an important part of keeping the benefits flowing for the community and the council whilst maintaining electrical safety as well."

The array cleaning took around half a day and used specialist lifting and cleaning equipment to complete the operation.