Our mission to build a power station on Bristol roofs is going from strength to strength. From Bristol Beacon to Easton Community Centre and Great Western Air Ambulance Charity – all these important community buildings are part of our portfolio of green, community powered energy. Could your roof be community powered too?
We’re looking for green-minded organisations who want to save money on their electricity bills and support community projects. Our ideal site partner would have a roof which is at least the size of two tennis courts, and would use a lot of electricity on site. We’ve worked with businesses, charities, schools and care homes, and are always interested to chat to new potential hosts.
All of our projects are owned by BEC members. They generate green electricity which we sell to our host site, reducing their energy bills. Whatever isn’t used on site, we export to the national grid. We use the income from this to fund more arrays and to invest in grassroots projects. Community building is at the heart of what we do and through our Megawatt Community Energy Fund, we support a diverse range of important projects with a sustainability focus, from bike refurbishment schemes in prisons, growing community gardens and helping community centres become more energy efficient.
In the next five years we have ambitious plans. We want to triple the speed at which we roll out rooftop solar, by installing 1 Megawatt of community owned solar every year. This is enough to power 300 homes for a year, or drive three million miles in an electric vehicle. While the geo-political climate may be darkening, we’re hopeful the sun is going to shine for community energy here in Bristol.
Want to know more? Contact info@bristolenergy.coop or see http://bristolenergy.coop/rooftop-solar-guide/.
Our latest installation
Our team have been up and down a lot of ladders recently as we build solar arrays on the roofs of four sites owned by charity and Social Housing provider Brunelcare. At Waverley Gardens, an extra care home in Bishopston, we completed a 250 kWp installation, which will provide energy bill savings of around £7,000 per year. The work is part of our South West Local Solar Scheme, which aims to install 2 megawatts of rooftop solar capacity across the West of England by 2025. The scheme is funded through a £500,000 grant from the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority’s Green Recovery Fund.
