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Oct 6 2005


Lord of the gas rings wants to save energy

By Kay Harrison


GANDALF the Grey is going greenLord of the Rings star Sir Ian
McKellen plans to summon up the power of the sun to power his
Limehouse home.

The veteran actor, who played the great wizard in the fantasy
trilogy, has applied to Tower Hamlets Council for planning permission
to mount eight solar panels on the roof of his Narrow Street home.

If successful, Sir Ian could cut green-house gas emissions by
savingaround 600kg of carbon dioxide each year. Covering 10 square
metres, the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are unlikely to upset
neighbours as they would not increase the size of his flat roof.
Anyone still wishing to object to the plans can lodge a complaint
with the council.

The PV panels work by generating electricity directly from light,
whatever the weather.

A home system can provide a large proportion of a household's energy -
around one third of the annual demand for a family - so easily
enough for Sir Ian's riverside padThe clean, renewable form of energy
production can cost up to £20,000 to install and lasts for around 30
years.

The UK Industry Solar Taskforce said: ``Solar PV could be the single
most important means of achieving the deep cuts in green-house gas
emissions, which are the ultimate agreed objective of the convention
on climate change.''

Sir Ian, who is currently away filming The Da Vinci Code and is also
a trustee of Isle of Dogs theatre The Space, can expect a decision on
his environmentally-friendly plans later this year