London Community Gets a Solar Roof Street in One Week

THIRTEEN HOUSES got solar rooftops installed in one street in just one week, completing utility company, Octopus Energy’s first ever community solar installation in Walthamstow, East London.

Project ‘Power Station’ was started by Walthamstow-based artists, Hilary Powell and Daniel Edelstyn. It aimed to install solar panels on as many houses as possible in one street to create the community’s own local green ‘power station’.

The initiative lets residents generate clean electricity that benefits them and their local community, save money on their energy bills and lower their carbon footprint.

Solar Roof Street

Hilary and Daniel crowdfunded £113,000 by sleeping on their rooftop and have used this to offer Lynmouth Road residents in Walthamstow subsidised solar installations via Octopus Energy.

Starting in June 2023, in just one week Octopus completed the installation of solar panels on all 13 houses that have joined the project so far, with the potential to expand to 17 further homes.

Solar Savings

The solar panels will reduce bills by around a third. The houses who join the scheme will also see an average carbon reduction of 70%, and help to reduce costs for all bill payers by decreasing demand on the grid.

Octopus says it is committed to working with communities to help them use and benefit from renewable energy. The vision of ‘Power Station’ matches Octopus Energy’s aim to build greener, fairer power and this is an opportunity for Octopus to test the viability of further community-led solar projects in the future.

Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Product Officer at Octopus Energy Group, said: “This project fills me with so much joy and pride – it’s a powerful example of the tremendous impact people can have in accelerating the green energy revolution.

“Hilary and Dan didn’t come from the energy industry, and yet they found a way to help their community move to green power and massively reduce their energy bills. We are delighted to have joined forces.”

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