Town Hall unveils new solar panel scheme at West Reservoir Centre

Hackney Light and Power, the council’s publicly-owned energy company, has launched a new solar panel scheme at a watersports centre in Woodberry Down.

Thanks to freshly installed panels on its roof, the West Reservoir Centre on the water’s edge can now generate all the power it needs through renewable solar energy alone.

Any excess power will be fed back into the grid and contribute to the council’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions across all of its functions by 2040, and to a 45 per cent reduction from 2010 levels by 2030.

Town Hall energy chief Cllr Jon Burke said: “I am delighted that Hackney Light and Power’s first solar power installation is already helping to decentralise the energy system and displace carbon-intensive electricity from the grid as part of our radical proposals to rebuild a greener Hackney in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re now working hard on the delivery of Hackney Light and Power’s next solar and energy infrastructure projects, which are not only generating clean power but also high-skilled employment at a time of real economic uncertainty.”

The solar panel scheme is now being rolled out at nine other council-owned buildings, including London Fields Lido, and is expected to generate a megawatt – one million watts – of clean energy.

The Town Hall is currently exploring the feasibility of installing panels on council homes and estates.

With ambitions of becoming a leader in clean energy generation, Hackney Light and Power has also been offering free home insulation and trials of renewable heating upgrades through its Green Homes drive, as well as conducting a study into how it can create London’s largest network of chargers for electric vehicles.