Grant awarded to enable research into solar canopies in local car parks

Grand Union Community Energy (GUCE) was awarded £40,000 from the Department for Energy and Net Zero’s Community Energy Fund (CEF) for a Stage 1 feasibility study to scope the viability of solar canopies on seven car parks belonging to the council. CEF is distributed and administered by the Greater South East Net Zero Hub.

GUCE is a community benefit society; a non-profit co-operative run by its members for community rather than financial benefit. They aim to develop all forms of renewable energy locally, as well as promote ways of saving energy through a number of schemes such as the energy-saving behaviour change programme called Transition Streets.

The Stage 1 feasibility study under the CEF project will produce initial designs, identify challenges, and recommend outcomes plus generate a tool that can be used to assess viability of car parks across Three Rivers. 

Residents are invited to share their initial thoughts on using car parks to generate solar powered electricity at several events hosted by GUCE:

• 16 September 7pm-8pm at Mill End Community Centre, Old School Building, Church Ln, Mill End, Rickmansworth WD3 8HD
• 18 September 7pm-8pm at Our Lady Parish Hall, 5 Park Rd, Rickmansworth WD3 1HU

Sarah Burgess, Development Officer for GUCE, said “We’re excited to have been awarded this CEF grant to investigate solar on car parks in the Three Rivers District.

“With the cost-of-living crisis still very much a reality for so many people, using spaces like these for locally produced renewable energy, while keeping the parking spaces our high streets need, is a great way to potentially provide energy bill security and cost savings for the local community.”

Cllr Jon Tankard, Lead Member for Sustainability and Climate Change at Three Rivers District Council, said: “Our car parks are very important to residents and to our local businesses. Exploring whether solar canopies could be installed over the existing car parking spaces, to maximise the use of the land is an important milestone in Three Rivers’ journey to achieving net-zero and could be a beneficial way to provide low-cost renewable energy to residents and businesses near the sites.

“The feasibility study will investigate seven car parks within the district, including Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, South Oxhey and Abbots Langley, to see if solar canopies are viable options. To achieve net-zero in the district, we need to be creative in our solutions, and this fund gives us the perfect opportunity to investigate how to generate more renewable energy locally, with a limited supply of land options.”

For more details about Grand Union Community Energy, follow on social media Facebook @GUCELTD Instagram @GUCE_UK, or the website https://guce.org.uk/our_projects/

PHOTO CAPTION: Solar canopies are popular across Europe and some have already been installed in the UK.