WHEN it comes to alternative energy sources, a charity for the elderly may be able to teach even the Prime Minister a thing or two.

In the week that Tony Blair was extolling the virtues of wind, wave and solar power, Age Concern, in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, unveiled details of its new power source at its £700,000 day-care and community support centre, Cliff House, in Hilton Lane.

Believed to be the first development of its kind in the region, the roof is made from photovoltaic solar cells, for the generation of electricity.

"We don't know yet whether this will make us self-sufficient in electric power," said the group's fundraising chairman, George Crowther.

"We have had a meter installed to measure the output, but it is likely the cells will provide all we need for our low energy lighting, to run our computers and drive the pumps for the gas central heating.

"A conscious decision was made to take every advantage of developing technology and, while it may have cost us a little more than a conventional roof - we spent about £40,000 on the cells - it will save us a lot of money in the long run," he added.