Hundreds of jobs could be created in Bristol through the ambitious Bristol Solar City project which aims to produce one gigawatt of power from solar schemes – more than enough for every home in the city – by 2020.
Bristol Solar City, officially launched today – exactly a week after Bristol secured the title of European Green Capital 2015 – is made up of local organisations which want to make Bristol the UK’s solar ca
pital.
Partners include education and research institutions, community energy groups, cooperatives, installers and wholesalers of renewable technologies. Its aims are supported by the city council and mayor George Ferguson.
Solar is by far the fastest-growing renewable energy technology in the South West. The 2013 annual progress report from Regen SW, will reveal that solar has contributed 250mw capacity in the past year, accounting for 93% of capacity growth across the region.
The launch of Bristol Solar City was welcomed by the leading partners on the ground-breaking £8m Ready for Retrofit programme, Regen SW and the Energy Saving Trust.
Ready for Retrofit is aimed at providing a substantial boost to the delivery of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to the West’s housing stock and to accelerate job creation in this fast-growing sector.
Regen SW chief executive Merlin Hyman said: “Bristol Solar City is exactly the kind of exciting new initiative we are looking to support in our commitment to building a world leading renewable energy sector in the south west. 1GW of solar PV could meet the electricity demand of every household in the city of Bristol. It will also make a significant contribution to the potential 34,000 jobs in this sector by 2020, as set out in our south west renewable energy manifesto.”
Jon Rattenbury, Ready for Retrofit Manager of The Energy Saving Trust, added: “Retrofitting energy efficiency and renewable measures to the UK's 14 million homes is key to saving people money on their fuel bills and achieving an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050. Solar PV is a popular and useful technology to achieve this and the Energy Saving Trust is pleased support Bristol Solar City and the role it can play in helping to engage people, communities and business about the benefits of improving our housing to be smarter, greener and warmer"
Ready for Retrofit is sponsoring the unique three-day Bristol Solar City launch event over the weekend of 21-23 June, part of the Bristol’s BIG Green Week.
Members of the Ready for Retrofit team will be available at the Solar Pavilion on College Green, Bristol, providing an opportunity for local businesses to learn more about the exciting opportunities in the retrofit market and what technology can do for them. The programme is helping businesses prepare for the delivery of the huge housing refurbishment task ahead. Eligible businesses can benefit from free business support and a £500 contribution towards their business development needs.
Bristol Solar City has three main aims:
- For Greater Bristol to install 1GW of solar PV by 2020
- To deliver clean, green jobs to Bristol
- To put Bristol on-track to having the cheapest energy in the UK
What will it mean for Bristol?
1GW of solar PV would produce more than 870,000,000 kWh of electricity each year, far exceeding the electricity requirements of all the homes in Bristol.
As energy prices continue to rise, generating our own clean green energy would provide energy security and economic stability as a city, as well as helping to reduce the bills for homes and businesses across the region. It would also reduce our collective carbon emissions by 460,000 tonnes each year, create local jobs and develop businesses in the region and provide a lasting legacy for generations to come.
