An Oxford professor is planning a party to celebrate the 30th anniversary of a solar power landmark.

Professor Sue Roaf, ignored the sceptics in 1995 to install the first integrated solar roof in Oxfordshire at her home in Blandford Avenue, North Oxford. It cost £28,000.

She was told at the time it would not work due to the weather in this country.

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Now she is planning a big party to celebrate 30 years of solar power at her home.

She said: "At 26 Blandford Avenue I built the first solar roof in the UK -  and drove my little electric car Hannibal from it. 

"On June 20 next year we are having the 30th anniversary celebration of it.

"In 2016 we had a great party with all the solar pioneers to celebrate one million solar roofs in the UK. Now we are nearing two million!"

In 2015, the Heriot-Watt academic told how her solar roof produced 3,200kWh a year, works at 95 per cent capacity and saved £450 a year in energy bills.

The professor of agricultural and engineering studies said st the time: “A lot of people told me it would never work here, but look at Britain now.

“Nearly a million solar roofs out of 25 million homes, an annual doubling of installed solar capacity.

(Image: Sue Roaf) “Even the politicians now recognise that the best way to take people out of fuel poverty is to put the means of generating energy on their own roofs.”

She added: “I am very proud that Oxford has been at the heart of the solar revolution over the past 20 years.

“I think the solar revolution started when people saw others putting them on their own houses and found out about the benefits. My friend saw mine and then put some on her home in Kidlington and then someone across the road decided to do it.

“Another major factor is that Oxford is a solar city.

“In 2006 we had a major conference; the city council became on board and promoted solar power.”

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

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