The Government says fire stations, libraries and care homes in local communities will benefit from cheaper energy bills as Great British Energy delivers on its ‘clean energy superpower’ mission to make working people and their communities better off.
Great British Energy, the government’s publicly-owned clean energy company, has awarded mayoral authorities a share of £10 million in grant funding to roll out clean energy projects at the centre of communities – including rooftop solar on Merseyside care homes and on leisure centres and libraries in Yorkshire.
These grants will mean that the community services and institutions that working people use will be able to save on their electricity bills and spend more money on the frontline services that strengthen local communities and boost local economic growth.
It is estimated that these schemes could produce a total of around £35 million of lifetime savings on energy bills, while improving energy security and creating good jobs.
As well as solar panels on public buildings, the grants will pay to install batteries for community buildings in areas including Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, so they can store renewable energy and use it later. The grants will also fund EV chargers in Greater Manchester, to make it easier for drivers to benefit from cheaper to power electric vehicles.
Great British Energy says it s already cutting energy bills for public services, with solar panels already installed on 11 schools as part of plans to roll out the panels on around 200 schools and 200 hospitals in England.
The government claims its clean energy superpower mission will protect billpayers, create jobs and bring greater energy security through delivering clean power by 2030. Great British Energy will accelerate this by developing, investing and building clean energy projects across the UK.
Earlier this year, all Mayoral Strategic Authorities were invited to submit expressions of interest for funding renewable energy projects that can be delivered in the 2025/2026 financial year.
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will use the money to support a rooftop solar project to support care homes and leisure centres, cutting around £4.6 million on lifetime energy bills, while Greater Manchester will also roll out rooftop solar on libraries, fire stations, police stations and sports centres, leading to estimated savings of over £2.1million on lifetime bills.
Projects in York and North Yorkshire are estimated to bring around £4 million in lifetime bill savings, they include solar panels to help power an Edwardian swimming pool in York and leisure centres in Whitby, Ripon and Thirsk.
It follows the government’s announcement in March to award £180 million of funding for schools and hospitals to install rooftop solar, marking the first major project for Great British Energy.
This could see millions invested back into frontline services, targeting deprived areas, with lifetime bill savings for schools and the NHS sites of up to £400 million over the next 30 years.
Photo by MICHAEL WILSON on Unsplash
