Shropshire Council approve solar photovoltaic plans
Shropshire Council’s Cabinet approved a plan this week to install up to 30 solar photovoltaic (PV) installations on council owned buildings.
Councillors approved the £2.5 million investment which would produce 3,200 to 39,600 kilowatt hours of electricity each year, and generate annual income for the council under the ‘feed-in tariff’ (FIT) scheme.
For the council this will also achieve a reduction in its carbon emissions footprint, further saving on its ‘carbon tax’ liability under the CRC Energy Efficiency scheme, a Government initiative aimed at improving energy efficiency and cutting emissions in large public and private sector organisations. If all of the proposed schemes gain planning consent and Distribution Network Operators approval, they could cumulatively save 500 tonnes CO2 annually.
The Government had proposed dropping the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) payment by 50%, ie from 43.3 pence per kilowatt hour to 21 pence per kilowatt hour for 4 kilowatt power systems, with effect from 12 December 2011. That proposal has been ruled unlawful by the courts, but it is still expected to be introduced in the near future when the scheme is reviewed again.
Cabinet members approved plans, as installations qualifying for the FIT need to be in place by March 2012 to benefit from the higher level payments for the next 25 years.
Councillor Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for carbon reduction and sustainability, said:
“We have a brief window of opportunity to benefit from the FIT scheme and we need to take action now.
“The UK has a target that, by 2020, 15% of our total energy demand should come from renewable sources and all sectors of the economy are expected to contribute to this. By investing in renewable energy generation, on an invest-to-save basis, we can help this target, but also generate a substantial revenue stream for the council over the next 20 to 25 years.
“Making use of solar PV will bring environmental, economic and social benefits in the form of a reduced carbon footprint for the council, local generation of electricity, keeping money in the local economy, revenue generation for the council, and generating jobs for the local economy.”
