To promote and support the Government’s Community energy strategy, Leicester City Council gave local community bodies the opportunity to submit Solar PV installation proposals that encourage Community Renewable Energy activities. Each bidder would have to show how their approach sits within the Government’s Community Energy agenda and demonstrable the community benefits to Leicester. This includes how they intend to comply with Leicester’s Employment Skills Strategy for construction training opportunities and use of local contractors during the installation phase.
Benefits of Community Solar PV include
· Easy to Install
· Minimal Maintenance
· Community Awareness
· Manufactures 25 year warranty
· Energy & Cost Reduction
· Good for the Environment (CO2 Reduction)
Under this scheme Leicester City Council would provide four suitable public buildings on which the successful bidder could mount solar photovoltaic panels for local renewable energy generation, so that financial and other community benefits from these installations flow to either local community bodies or to local investors. The 154 kWp Solar PV system(s) across four Council buildings has already generated 113,095 kWh per year and cut CO2 emissions by 59,227 kg a year (enough to fill over 5.9 million party balloons). The up-front costs of the installation would be funded by the successful bidder and they would own, maintain and insure these panels.
