Mayoral Renewables Fund Sees Panels Successfully Installed To Slash Bills And Save Taxpayer Money

Solar panels to boost energy efficiency, slash bills and cut carbon emissions have been successfully installed with the help of more than £1million.

The Combined Authority was awarded £1,208,016 from two rounds of the Government’s publicly owned clean energy company Great British Energy to deliver a string of renewable energy projects at key sites across the region.

And many are now in place – generating electricity and saving on costs of running many public buildings across the region.

The Dormanstown Depot, owned by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, now generates 118 MWh of electricity per year with backing from the fund – saving 23 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide every year and cutting its bills.

These efforts have been bolstered by panels installed at South Tees Business Centre.

The Mayoral Renewables Fund scheme has formed part of Great British Energy’s early delivery work.

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “Having these panels in place is another step forward in delivering on our ambition to make our region a leader in clean growth.

“Crucially, this is about cutting costs for the taxpayer, driving down emissions and supporting the infrastructure we need for the electric fleets of the future.

“These projects show how, site by site, we can take meaningful, practical action to bring down bills while keeping services running efficiently for local people.”

Sites which have also seen panels installed include Guisborough Forest Walkway Visitor Centre, Duncan Place Library and Community Centre, Loftus, Inspire 2 Learn Training Centre and Council Offices, Eston, Jervaulx Care Homes, New Skelton, Skelton Youth Centre and Community Hub, Ormesby Library, and the Green Gates Family Hub.

There have also been panels installed at Tofts Farm Industrial Estate, Hartlepool, and Fountain Court, Middlesbrough.

Cllr Alec Brown, TVCA Cabinet Member for Net Zero and Business Growth and Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said: “It’s great to see these solar panels installed and generating cleaner, greener electricity on local authority buildings – saving money for the public purse.

“We want to see more public buildings fitted with solar panels where appropriate to ensure less money is spent on heating and powering facilities and more is spent on front-line services.”

The funding was part of packages made available to Mayoral Combined Authorities in England to accelerate local clean energy generation.