Cwmgors kicked off the first game of the season by unveiling their new solar panels on the club house.

Club officials are hoping the solar panels can provide an energy boost to the season.

The 30kW system cost £27,928 and was installed free of charge by Egni Co-op with funds from its Share Offer which has raised £4.49m to date.

Dorian Jones from the club said: “We’re delighted to be one of the first rugby clubs in Wales to install solar and play our part in tackling climate change.

"We’ve all seen the news of wildfires in different parts of Europe, and with our club working with a lot of young people we want to play our part in building a future fit for them.”

There are panels on the front and rear of the building which faces east – west.

This means the roof gets the sun in the morning on the rear and on the front in the afternoon. The panels will reduce the club’s electrical consumption from the grid and their carbon emissions by 7,700 kg/year.

It’s estimated the club will save £2,400 /year which helps the financial stability of the club as all sports venues are recovering from Covid.

Feasibility and development costs for the project were funded by the Rural Development Programme, the Welsh Government Energy Service and Sustainable Communities Wales.

Dan McCallum, co-director of Egni Co-op said: “Cwmgors is the birthplace of the greatest rugby player of all time, Gareth Edwards, and it’s great that his home club is leading the way in reducing our carbon emissions.

"Egni Co-op has now raised £4.49m from Community Shares and is fast approaching its target of £4.6m.

"We want as many people to join us. Anyone can invest from £50 to play their part in tacking climate change.

"Please visit www.egni.coop for more information."