OXFORD'S dreaming spires could soon be a sea of gleaming wires powering the city below if this example is anything to go by.

Oxford City Council has set a shining example in sustainability by installing 66 solar panels on the roof of its city centre offices in St Aldate's.

The photovoltaic panels will generate about 18,539 kWh of electricity – the equivalent of four households a year – and avoid about 10 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.

It is expected that the rooftop facility, which was installed in January, will generate about 10 per cent of the building's electricity.

The panels, which cost £45,000, will generate about £4,445 of income every year for the council through the Government's Feed-in Tariff, selling electricity to the grid and avoiding the use of grid electricity.

The council's energy and carbon manager Dr Paul Spencer: "Climate change is one of the biggest issues facing Oxford. It is crucial everyone does all they can to reduce their carbon emissions."