There are now 11 rooftop solar installations collectively owned by Big Solar Co-op members and they are generating over 6 whopping megawatts most days now, even on a moody looking day like the one pictured below! Take a look at the Live Solar Monitor on the website and you will see that the impact so far of the 828MWh (megawatt hours) produced by our solar panels is equivalent to:
☀️ 307 houses’ electricity needs powered for 1 year
☀️ 2.6 million miles driven in an electric car
☀️ Enough gas-generated electricity pushed off the grid to save 4600 tonnes of CO2 – that’s the annual carbon footprint of about 486 people!
The latest lot of panels to go up was on the Freemantle and Shirley Community Centre which provides amenities for hire for all sections of the local community in Southampton.
Here are just a few of the things that happen through the week there…elderly daycare and lunches, Pilates, baby ballet and sensory classes, yoga, Irish dancing, theatre groups, church groups, Ukrainian language school, wellbeing support groups, private parties, Sunday lunch for the homeless, wilder Hampshire meetings and a school for autistic children. It’s a busy place!
We are delighted to be helping support this vibrant community hub by supplying around 60% of their energy requirements at below grid prices.
Investing in solar
Each month, Jon Hallé has been running a live public Zoom call to provide updates and a presentation of the community solar energy model. Walking us through some of the Projects already collectively owned by the Big Solar Co-op Members; from factories to schools, leisure centres to steelworks, supermarkets to community centres and what we expect to be installing in the coming months. Here is a recording of the call from last week and you can find more details, including the full share offer document, on the Buy Shares page.
In addition to rooftops we will soon start construction of a small groundmount solar array – Whiteborough Solar Park – which will be the UK’s first recycled solar farm! Situated on the site of an old open-cast coal mine in Nottinghamshire, this 3.5 MW solar array will use solar panels that have been repurposed from another site. Instead of sending them to landfill, the panels will see many more years of productive life. Register for the next investment call if you would like to know more >>>
Midcounties Co-op partnership
Our partnership with the Midcounties Co-operative forms part of a wider sustainability strategy for them that aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2027 compared to 2019 levels. We are thrilled to see that their efforts are being recognised and that they have been selected as Finalists in the prestigious Grocer Gold Awards – fingers crossed for them to win!
