Decision details

Following a market engagement exercise and technical and structural feasibility surveys, 84 sites; 23 corporate and 62 school sites, have been identified as suitable to-date for having roof-top Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology installed and 68 of these sites (to-date) will also include a Battery Storage system.

The programme will be funded from an approved allocation of £7.7m in the capital programme and will support the council’s commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions from its operations by 2030 (as set out in the council’s Climate Change Strategy 2020-2030). It will also help meet the agreed priorities in the council’s recently adopted 2030 Energy Strategy by reducing grid electricity consumption, increasing renewable energy generation in the county, and reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. In addition to electricity cost savings for the County Council, schools will also benefit from a reduction in electricity costs.

The procurement process will allow for further phases of solar PV and battery storage to be fitted to the county council’s buildings and the county’s schools (subject to the authority to do so being granted and internal capacity to support delivery by the supplier). It will also seek to appoint a Demand Side Response (DSR) provider to manage the charged status and market value from the battery storage installations.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change has:

(1)         Endorsed commencement of procurement of a single supplier to survey, design, supply and install solar photovoltaic (PV) panel systems and ‘Behind-the-Meter’ (BTM) battery storage technology across suitable corporate and school sites, as set out in section 2 of this report, including a 5-year Operation and Maintenance (O&M) contract; and

(2)         Delegated authority to the Assistant Director (Environment and Public Protection) to award the contract.

None