The solar panels will be installed on buildings where the freehold is owned by the council but have been passed on to occupiers under long-term leases. The scheme will begin with an initial trial involving a 100kW solar energy package on four selected council-owned buildings.
Community groups occupying the buildings will be able to make substantial savings on their energy bills through the government’s Feed-in Tariff Scheme (FiTS) in which the tariff is used to pay the installation costs. The community groups will buy the electricity generated from the solar panels at a discounted rate through a power purchase agreement (PPA). This in turn will help the council to reduce Bristol’s carbon emissions and the council’s energy costs without incurring council expenditure. The tariff will also help community groups to fund activities and enterprises in the city and provide dividend repayments to shareholders.
In addition to these benefits, the council is also hoping that the programme will help to galvanise local communities into supporting attempts to maintain energy security by reducing dependency on imported energy while also encouraging Bristol’s population to engage with the council’s Solar City initiative and Green Capital Partnership. It should also help to further promote the benefits of solar power across the city as well as involvement in energy efficiency programmes such as the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) offered by the council’s Energy Service.
“The Department of Energy and Climate Change share our belief in the vital role that communities and individuals can play in decarbonising the UK’s power sector” said Bristol Mayor George Ferguson. “Working together is the only way to achieve Britain’s goal of sourcing 15 percent of our power from renewable sources by 2020 – a goal we aim to exceed in Bristol. Bristol is leading the way as 2015 European Green Capital next year and solar energy is a key part of building a sustainable future for the city.”
The council is expecting the plan to achieve an electricity generation figure of 90,000 kWh with related carbon dioxide emissions reductions of around 44 tonnes per year.
Bristol is already widely known for its network of local groups engaged in renewable energy generation, such as Low Carbon Gordano which managed to raise over £2 million through public shares in order to build a solar farm in the city. The new initiative will help to further raise the profile of solar energy in the city, increasing its already impressive green credentials.
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