The Institution of Civil Engineers South West (ICE) has welcomed the extension of a project to bring solar panels to community groups and businesses across Devon and Cornwall.
The Solar Communities project, run by Community Energy Plus, a Cornish-based charity, will open up to Devon applicants with the support of new investors. Suitable applicants will have solar installations free of charge, reducing electricity bills and their carbon footprint.
Trish Johnson, Regional Director of ICE South West said: “The climate of the South West peninsular lends itself to solar power far more than other areas of the UK, so the government’s scaling back of the Feed-in Tariff (FiTs) scheme came as a blow to the emerging renewables industry here.”
By the end of June 2011, the South West came second only to Scotland in renewable energy terms, with microgeneration capacity above 25MW thanks to the large solar parks, many of which benefited from the FiTs scheme. Cornwall in particular has seen 12 out of 35 schemes given planning permission, come on stream.
Nationally, it has been estimated that in the time since the launch of the FiTs scheme, solar capacity has increased nine times through the increase in small scale installations.
Trish continued: “The Solar Communities project is well suited to the largely rural, geographically dispersed populations of the South West through encouraging local energy self sufficiency. Installing solar to community buildings, businesses and homes will help maximize the potential of sun energy in our region.
“This will not only reduce demands on the national grid but help protect the South West from potential brown outs in the future. With demand increasing and the South West needs a mix of small and large scale energy sources to ensure its future energy security and tackle carbon reduction targets.
“The project also provides an excellent example of the kind of innovative approach - bringing together private investment and the third sector – that we need to tackle these challenges in difficult economic times.
“The South West has the potential to be a Centre of Excellence for the renewables sector, with solar power an intrinsic part of the region’s energy industry, and it’s these types of creative partnerships that will help us showcase this to Government.”
Successful applicants will not only save money on their energy bills, but will also earn money from any surplus which can be sold back to the National Grid. The project is an extension of the original £20 million scheme, which was launched in Cornwall during the summer.
Further details please go to
www.cep.org.ukENDS
