on a housing estate, with support from their Labour council which I was leading at
the time.
A solar power station was installed on the roof of a housing block on the
Loughborough Estate. Given the pressure on council budgets it was paid for by
public subscription, guaranteeing a three percent annual return for investors – which
is much better than most savings accounts at the moment. Residents on the estate
benefit from lower bills, as the project sells energy to the National Grid and generates
cheap energy for residents to use. It’s been a huge success and is now being
extended to other housing estates in the area.
To work effectively, solar power generators need to be set up on big buildings with
open space for a large number of panels to face the direction of the sun. This is often
more feasible on public buildings like schools, town halls or housing blocks than on
individual houses. By persuading public authorities to co-operate with schemes like
these, local communities can benefit from lower bills and more sustainable sources of
energy.
In the United States, 42 million citizens are members of energy co-operatives. We
need more support from government at every level to develop initiatives like this
across the UK. Local energy co-operatives need support to navigate complex
planning rules, manage their finances and develop their businesses. Local authorities
and other big users of energy should explore how they can work together to
purchase energy co-operatively and make savings which can be reinvested into
services or to help those facing financial hardship.
“Local authorities and other big users of energy should explore how
they can work together to purchase energy co-operatively”
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