West Sussex County Council's Renewable Energy Investment Continues to Generate Clean Electricity

Strategic Insights -

The West Sussex County Council, in line with its Energy Strategy, has been steadily increasing its generation of clean, green electricity through the installation of solar panels on its buildings and schools, as well as the development of solar farms. The council's latest solar generation report for the 2021/22 financial year shows that its renewable energy systems generated over 16,000 MWh of clean electricity, which is enough to power more than 5,500 average UK homes. This has prevented 3,700 tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere compared to generating the same amount of electricity from fossil fuels.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over the past decade, the West Sussex County Council has increased its clean energy generation through solar panels and solar farms, with a total of 16,000 MWh of clean electricity generated in the 2021/22 financial year.
  • The renewable energy systems generated enough electricity to power more than 5,500 average UK homes, preventing 3,700 tonnes of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.
  • The council has invested in energy storage and is developing "grid scale" battery sites to store and supply electricity as required.
  • The batteries provide a service to the electricity grid, helping to maintain grid stability as intermittent sources of renewable power fluctuate.
  • The council has earned over £2.5 million in revenue from selling electricity to the grid and making use of its batteries at the Westhampnett solar farm.
  • The council is planning to decarbonize its heating systems and further develop its solar and battery systems over the next three years.
  • A new operation and maintenance arrangement has been put in place with a specialist private sector provider to monitor and maintain the systems.
  • The council works with a specialist energy partner to market the energy it generates and operate its batteries to deliver the best financial return.

The council's Deputy Leader, Deborah Urquhart, has emphasized the need for organizations to lead by example and invest in clean energy to address climate change.

Statistics:

  • 16,000 MWh: the amount of clean electricity generated by the council's renewable energy systems in the 2021/22 financial year.
  • 5,500: the number of average UK homes that the renewable energy systems can power.
  • 3,700 tonnes: the amount of CO2 prevented from being released into the atmosphere by generating clean electricity.
  • £2.5 million: the revenue earned by the council from selling electricity to the grid and using its batteries.
  • 2: the number of solar farms developed by the council (Tangmere and Westhampnett).
  • 1: the year in which the new battery site at Sompting is due to open.

Sources:

  • West Sussex County Council's news release (no date)
  • Deborah Urquhart, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, as quoted in the West Sussex County Council's news release (no date)