New Solar Guide for Local Authorities

SOLAR ENERGY UK has published a new practical solar guide for Local Authorities looking to procure solar power.

How Solar Energy can deliver for Climate and Communities highlights the options available to Authorities for decarbonising their assets to support delivery of their climate action plans and the UK’s 2050 net zero targets.

As part of its response to climate change, the UK has adopted a legally binding commitment to achieve a net zero economy by 2050. To deliver this, the government must rethink the way energy is generated, distributed, and consumed.

Key Role for Local Authorities

Local Authorities will play a key role in decarbonisation as they can influence individual and collective action and set up governance structures to create the buy-in necessary to make a net zero energy system a reality.

As Local Authorities come under increasing pressure to show how they will deliver their action plan commitments and reduce their carbon emissions, solar PV provides an attractive solution.

Solar Guide

The solar guidance describes each step in decarbonising from a user’s perspective and provides case studies of previous successful Local Authorities projects. There’s a detailed focus on Social Housing in the last chapter, where the deployment of solar can deliver clean, affordable energy, benefitting both tenants and Local Authorities.

John Taylor, Energy Projects Manager for the Greater South East Energy Hub, a BEIS funded team helping LEPs and Local Authorities accelerate the delivery of local energy projects, said: “With COP26 behind us, it’s time for local authorities to start delivering on their net zero targets and solar power is one of the quickest ways councils can make an early impact. From procuring an electricity tariff backed by solar energy to building out solar arrays on rooftops or council owned land, this guide is designed to boost the confidence of local authorities to make the jump into solar power.”

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