PHOTO: Derbyshire Dales, Derbyshire
The Midlands Net Zero Hub is funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero as part of the government’s clean growth strategy and is hosted by Nottingham City Council. The Hub is supported by D2N2 LEP and is one of five local Net Zero Hubs in England.
The local Net Zero Hubs aim to facilitate investment into decarbonisation projects, increasing the number, quality and scale of those being delivered across the regions. The Midlands Net Zero Hub works with their partners across the Midlands to support projects from the earliest stages of feasibility and development through to investment readiness and delivery.
One aspect of the Net Zero Hub’s work is their Feasibility Studies, aimed at supporting rural communities to improve their energy resilience and decarbonise.
Exploring a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) system on a community social club.
The Midlands Net Zero Hub is supporting the Feasibility Study for the Derbyshire Dales Community Energy scheme in Derbyshire.
Derbyshire Dales Community Energy (DDCE) constituted itself in February 2021 to start looking at how the community could develop roof-mounted solar PV systems. The Midlands Net Zero Hub started work with Matlock Town Council to bid for funding for a feasibility study.
The council employed a consortium led by Pure Leapfrog to provide the technical expertise to carry out the feasibility study, which was completed in January 2022. DDCE registered as a community benefit company in January 2022.
They applied for funding to bring a portfolio of roof-mounted solar PV systems to the point that they are funded and ready to be installed. They have appointed Sharenergy to carry out this work and issued a share offer to raise the installation funds.
The challenge was to find suitable sites where the building occupier uses enough of the energy generated during the day, to receive a reasonable price for the electricity generated.
Project key facts
- 649 kWp roof-mounted solar
- 551,212 kWh energy produced per annum
- 117 tonnes of CO2 savings per annum
Find out more about the Derbyshire Dales Community Energy project
D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) covers the Derby, Derbyshire, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire region, convening the businesses, universities, colleges and local authorities in our region to drive low carbon, economic growth and productivity, skills & careers, inclusion and delivery excellence. The D2N2 LEP team and functions will transition into the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA) during 2024.
For media enquiries, contact:
Nicola Swaney
Head of External Affairs, D2N2 LEP
Nicola.Swaney@d2n2lep.org
