https://reasonstobecheerful.world/london-solar-microgrids/
"The red-brick Frampton Park Estate, a set of five-story social housing blocks
in east London, is built like many other residential complexes in the British
capital. Even the lines of solar panels that cover the roofs of the estate are
an increasingly common sight.
But Frampton is the flagship example of a pioneering initiative to make an
equitable energy transition in the city of nearly nine million people, one
where low-income residents are directly benefiting from and even supporting
solar energy.
“One of the most important things for us is for this energy transition to be
just,” says Sarah Young, who is cabinet member for climate change, environment
and transport at Hackney Council, the local London authority that is co-running
the project. “We want to make Hackney livable, for everyone, for those who are
the most vulnerable.”
Often tenants of social housing are excluded from the financial benefits of
solar on their roofs due to regulatory and technical issues, even though they
are the ones most in need. And until recently that was the case in Hackney,
where solar panels on apartment buildings could only be used to supply
electricity to the grid or to light communal areas.
But in 2023, the Hackney-based company Emergent Energy succeeded in lobbying
for change in regulations in the U.K. so that residents in social housing can
now access the clean, affordable energy coming from their own roofs. Before the
change, most of that energy was sold back to the grid, so tenants gained no
direct benefit.
“The customers can now get some of the value,” says Reg Platt, the founder and
CEO.
Around 4,000 solar panels have been installed across 28 social housing blocks
and three estates in Hackney, producing one megawatt of energy, the equivalent
of a fifth of the blocks’ energy needs. As many as 800 residents are set to
save 15 percent on bills when compared to the market rate, according to
estimates by Emergent Energy."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
