Council estate residents in Hackney will be able to buy discounted energy from new solar panels on their buildings from next year.
Hackney Council said the project was the first of its kind in the UK to use microgrids to provide solar energy directly to tenants and leaseholders, and could enable them to save about 15% on their electricity bills compared with market rates.
The London borough council is spending £2m on the scheme, to be paid back through electricity sales. Local firm Emergent Energy will install the solar panels and supply the energy.
The project was supported by national energy regulator Ofgem, which allowed Emergent to trial new industry rules on microgrids.
Ofgem deputy director Marzia Zafar said: ‘It’s brilliant to see Emergent taking this innovation to the next level by collaborating with Hackney Council to provide low-cost and renewable local energy solutions to consumers in the social housing sector.’
Around 4,000 solar panels will be installed across three Hackney Council estates from January.
They will generate about a fifth of the energy needs of 28 housing blocks, allowing 800 households to sign up for discounted energy.
Emergent Energy CEO Reg Platt said: ‘No one should miss out on the benefits of locally generated clean energy because of their income level or the type of home they live in.
‘That’s why we created this new opportunity for residents of social housing flats to receive savings on their energy bills from rooftop solar.’
