We have marked a major milestone in our journey to reach net zero by 2050.
To date, we have installed solar PV arrays on over 50 buildings, comprised of schools and core sites.
Combined, these installs have just generated over one million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity.
This has prevented over 286 tonnes of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of planting over 13,000 trees.
This represents substantial progress towards the goals recommended by the Essex Climate Action Commission in its report, ‘Net Zero: Making Essex Carbon Neutral’.
The milestone is also great for buildings and the people who run them. So far in 2022, the schools with solar installs have benefitted from income and savings of over £60,000. These savings will only continue to climb.
In addition to financial and environmental benefits, schools have been able to positively engage children and the local community with their new installations.
Cllr Peter Schwier, ECC Climate Czar, said: “This milestone is a perfect example to show how through our Climate Action Plan we are successfully working towards achieving our ambitious goals.
“As outlined in the Climate Action Plan, the Council is committed to playing its part by getting its own electricity from renewable sources, by producing over one million kWh of solar energy we have proved that we are well on our way to achieving that.”
To achieve the milestone we have benefitted from Government funding through the Low Carbon Skills Fund and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme via Salix.
Find out more about our Climate Action Plan.