London Community Energy Fund Case Studies

The GLA is pleased to announce another successful project that was funded as part of phase one of the London Community Energy Fund. Caversham GP practice is an established teaching and training practice in Camden with 15,000 registered patients. Following the GLA funded feasibility study, the project raised £28,000 from investors in the community in just under two weeks. Power Up North London (PUNL) were awarded £12,940 to deliver the project and install 100, 300W solar PV panels on the roof of the Practice.

"Power Up North London has provided us with a worthwhile investment which not only saves energy and costs for the local GP practice but reinforces the idea of recycling and local initiatives for sustainable energy production.  Every time the sun shines we get heat and hot water for our local General Practice.  Wonderful!"
 – Ruth Appleton, one of the project's investors

What are the benefits of the project?

The 30kWp PV system is estimated to generate 26.9MWh of clean energy a year, that is equivalent to running 7 of the surgery’s PCs for 9 hours every day for two and a half years. It will also save 8 tonnes of carbon a year.

The panels will reduce the practice’s electricity bills as the Practice will benefit from discounted energy, through a power purchase agreement with Power Up North London.  Patients and other members of the local community who have invested in the share offer will benefit from a small return on their investment, while being given the opportunity to invest for social and environmental benefit. 

Any surplus income will be put into PUNL’s Community Energy Fund, which will be available to help bring forward more projects in the local area.

PUNL have installed an electronic display in the Practice which shows the CO2 savings and the solar energy generated in both real time and in total.

The panels are a community asset that can be used for educational purposes and to encourage others to explore generating renewable energy.

How has the project been funded?

• The GLA funded the project feasibility which paid for the roof survey, legal costs and community engagement events to help spread the word about the share offer.
• The £28,000 Community Share Offer funded the installation of the panels and thanks to Simmons & Simmons for an additional £5,000 grant funding.
• Power Up North London will receive income from three sources:
  • Until recently the government rewarded generators for the renewable energy, they produced though the Feed- in -Tariff. PUNL were able to secure payments from the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) for 20 years.
  • Selling electricity to the Caversham Group Practice at a discounted price.
  • Selling any remaining energy back to the grid.
• The income will be used to repay capital and interest to shareholders, to fund the annual maintenance and monitoring costs, and the insurance costs, as well as pay for inverter replacement.

The GLA’s London Community Energy Fund (LCEF) scheme has proved its merit yet again with another successful solar panel installation project, this time on a collection of schools in the London Borough of Ealing.

"Team Wood End is very pleased we have now become more energy efficient thanks to the solar panels. As eco champions, we are thrilled to be able to make a difference to our environment and help look after our planet for the future of all our children"
- Madhu Bhachu, Headteacher at Wood End School End Schoo

Who was involved?

Funding for nine Ealing schools began in the first phase of the LCEF programme in 2017. The GLA awarded £15,000 in funding to the Ealing Transition, a not-for-profit organisation comprised of members of the community working on promoting local action on climate change, energy efficiency and food security. Ealing Transition worked in partnership with Ealing Council and the Schools’ Energy Co-operative (SEC), a solar-installing company that provides community funded solar panel systems to schools free of charge as well as paying any profits to its member schools. Based on the success of the first round of funding a further £30,000 was awarded to the same team in the second round.

What were the outcomes/benefits?

Since the project began, there has been major progress. A total of 298kWp of capacity in solar panels has already been installed, and there is the potential for a further 500 kWp of capacity through more installations following structural surveys. If these plans are fully implemented, the estimated savings will be 324 tonnes of CO2 per year. It is anticipated that the schools will save about half a million pounds in electricity costs over 20 years. Furthermore, the SEC is a co-operative, and any profits from the solar PV’s will be distributed back to the schools.

Aside from reducing carbon emissions and cutting the schools’ electricity costs, freeing up more money to be spent on improving the education or facilities at the schools, the projects will also benefit the school curriculum. Pupils will be taught about the environmental benefits of generating energy from clean, renewable sources such as solar panels, and teachers will help to raise awareness of the importance of taking such measures to contribute to the global effort to reduce the impacts of climate change and global warming.

"The Schools' Energy Co-op has worked hard to engage and organise solar PV installation on Ealing’s schools and the project is progressing very well. It has been a pleasure working with the co-op and they provide a great service"
-Andrew Jackson (Energy Officer, Ealing Council)