For CleanMobilEnergy partner Nottingham City Council, promoting the use of sustainable energy does not stop at clean mobility - sustainability is a way of life and renewable energy should be utilised in all aspects of public and private life. In honor of this year's “EU Sustainable Energy Week: Lead the Clean Energy Transition”, Nottingham City Council (NCC) hosted a tour of their latest solar PV installation for colleagues at Loxley House in Nottingham, UK.
NCC is already a leading local authority for energy & sustainability, with solar energy playing a crucial role in the council’s transition to green energy. To celebrate this year's EUSEW, a group of colleagues were led on a tour of the solar PV system on the rooftop of the local community building, Loxley House, to see where some of the building’s green energy comes from and to hear more about the council’s solar ambitions.
Wayne Bexton, Head of Energy Services at NCC, gave a thorough overview of the importance of solar energy to the council. This green energy is not only lowering our carbon emissions and helping us to tackle climate change but also significantly reducing our energy bills and helping to plug the budget gap. Nottingham City Council has a target to generate over one million kilowatt hours of solar energy in 2018, saving the council over £90,000 and avoiding over 270 tonnes of carbon emissions.
NCC's transition to solar energy is also helping the city achieve its 2020 Climate Change targets, which were detailed in Nottingham's Energy Strategy. These targets are as follows:
26% reduction of CO2 emissions from 2005 levels, the city has met this target four years early, the current reduction level stands at 36%.
20% of energy used in the city to be produced from local renewable sources, Nottingham is on track to meet this target.
Councillor Sally Longford, Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment at NCC, sums up the city of Nottingham's general view on sustainble energy (and clean transport!):
“We know that Nottingham people care about the environment so it’s great that we can make a real impact for the better on the environment whilst saving money and protecting frontline services. Nottingham has been a key partner in many EU-funded energy and sustainability projects and it was good to celebrate this week which highlights the efforts made so far to tackle climate change across Europe and calls for further action to be taken - which we as a council very much endorse”.
The Solar PV Team at the NCC carries out site surveys with accredited installation colleagues before deciding if a location is suitable for PV installation. Plans are then drawn up for installation, which are submitted along with a feasibility report and to the client for review. Once all works have been approved by the client and all interested parties, the Solar PV Team can commence works.
Solar PV Team | Eastcroft | London Road | Nottingham | NG2 3AH
