A practical new report published by the STA today [1] shows how local councils are leading the way on solar by building modern solar homes, developing ‘subsidy-free’ solar farms, master planning ‘smart’ neighbourhoods and using solar to save money and provide stable sources of revenue to fund services. Highlights from the collection of 26 pioneering and proven case studies, which detail financing, include a tax-free investment from local people in a solar farm developed by Public Power Solutions for Swindon Council.
The report features Swindon Borough Council strongly for a slate of superb solar schemes delivered by Public Power Solutions, which is wholly owned by the Council. Swindon projects featured in the report include: the establishment of the first ever tax-free solar ISA, for investment by local people, to fund a 5MW community solar farm; the site preparation for a huge 50MW battery storage facility; and the development of one of the UK’s largest solar farms at 61MW on a former airfield, funded in partnership with other boroughs.
Overall the solar projects developed by Swindon Borough Council raise £647,000 every year which help to fund local services.
Chris Hewett, Chief Executive of the Solar Trade Association said: “Swindon Borough Council’s dedicated delivery body, Public Power Solutions, has been stunningly effective on solar power. We want to congratulate the council on being a leading light for solar in the UK, and we look forward to seeing many more pioneering solar schemes from Swindon in the future.”
The report makes ten recommendations to local authorities to make solar work today. These include higher building standards, use of zero interest Salix Finance, going for high volume tenders and larger schemes to improve economics, granting solar business rate relief to state schools and community energy groups and including solar and storage alongside electric vehicle strategies.
Analysis [2] by the STA on Freedom of Information and data from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy shows that the top 10 local authorities by investment have collectively invested £80 million in solar. There is striking national variation in the take up of solar power with Peterborough topping the league tables with the highest concentration of solar homes in the UK; 11% of homes in Peterborough have solar, while only 0.1% do in Kensington – a 100-fold difference. STA research suggests proactive local authorities boost solar take-up.
One of the key recommendations in the report is to ramp up planning policies to ensure new build homes & offices include rooftop solar, which is particularly cost effective to include during construction and which results in lower energy bills and lower carbon in future.
Paul Hutchens, Chair of STA’s New Build Working Group said; “There is now a wealth of experience all over the UK showing even very mainstream home builder take better building standards locally in their stride – solar makes it easy. Given the chopping and changing of national policy there has been a lot of confusion about the powers local authorities have to demand higher standards. We hope this report helps to clear that up.”
The STA wants councillors and officers who are interested in boosting solar & storage to get in touch. The STA will be holding regional workshops [3] to help spread best practice and linking councils up through a new Local Authority Leading Lights Network [4]. The STA can also provide advice on technology costs, how to structure cost-effective schemes, and how to safeguard quality in competitive tender processes.
Report author Leonie Greene said;
“There is frustration out there that national policy has made it harder to do solar. Our research showed that better national policy is needed to support domestic and community solar and the great ambitions of local government to use solar to tackle fuel poverty. Government should also end the unfair business rate treatment of rooftop solar for self-consumption. But our report shows that many projects can be done today, free of central government, which heralds a new era of sustainable clean energy investment. By making use of the unique powers they have on planning, to access Salix Finance, Local Development Orders and on granting relief from rooftop solar business rates, councils can support the clean energy ambitions of the communities they serve.”
[1] The report Leading Lights is available online at https://www.solar-trade.org.uk/about/leading-lights/, alongside other resources for local government. All case studies and images are available to feature in articles on request.
[2] Further analysis by the STA on FOI and BEIS data on local authority solar investment and concentrations of solar homes is published alongside.
[3] The first regional workshop will be held in East Anglia with local leaders.
[4] Authorities interested in solar and joining the STA’s Leading Lights Network should contact Leonie directly [email protected];
