Prince Charles to install solar panels on his home

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By Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP

Prince Charles, an ardent environmentalist, has received permission from the Westminster City Council to install solar panels on the roof of his 180-year-old home in London.

Once the panels are generating electricity, Clarence House will become "carbon negative," producing more power than it uses, The Daily Telegraph reports. It became "carbon neutral" three years ago.

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By Chris Jackson, Getty Images

The 32 panels, to be concealed by the building's parapet, are expected to produce about 4,000 kilowatts of electricity annually and cost about $46,500, to come from the prince's pocket, according to the Daily Mail.

Prince Charles, 61, has spoken of being born into his position "for a purpose" -- to tackle global warming, the story says. Last week, he told British families to take "short, refreshing" five-minute showers instead of baths to conserve water.

He's had energy-efficient boilers installed at Clarence House, where bath water is recycled to water the plants. He owns three luxury cars converted to run on biofuel, UPI reports, adding that although the Jaguar and Land Rover use biodiesel, his Aston-Martin runs on leftover wine.