Carbon savings add up with grant-funded renewable energy technology
Businesses and community buildings leading the way in installing renewable energy are on track to achieve a carbon saving of almost 84 tonnes each year.
Across Shropshire eight small and medium enterprises, from breweries to coach companies, town councils and village halls, have been successful in achieving funding to support renewable energy projects totalling £263,681.
The funding has come through the Marches Renewable Energy Grant Scheme, providing small and medium-sized enterprises in Shropshire (and Telford & Wrekin) with a 50 per cent grant towards installing renewable energy at their premises.
The scheme covers a range of renewable technologies including solar PV and air and ground source heat pumps, and offers financial help to businesses to plan for the future by making their energy supply sustainable and efficient.
Chelmarsh Village Hall has won 50 per cent funding to install an air source heat pum,p which will contribute an estimated carbon saving of 0.42 tonnes as well as making savings in energy costs.
Chelmarsh Village Hall air source heat pump
Powis Hall Indoor Market, in Oswestry has also been granted £32,162, half the cost of installing solar panels on the roof to provide energy for the building and creating a carbon saving 19.91 tonnes a year. The successful funding bid was made by Oswestry Town Council.
Powis Indoor Market Hall, Oswestry solar panels
The Ludlow Brewing Company was one of the first private ventures to install solar panels through the scheme. It has received a grant award of £12,425 (50%) for roof-mounted solar panels on its cold store. It will help reduce energy costs and the environmental footprint by making an annual saving of eight tonnes of carbon dioxide at the company’s production facility in the town.
Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for climate change, natural assets and the green economy, welcomed the move towards renewable energy:-
“We all recognise the need to drive down our carbon footprints, and maximising opportunities such as these grants is an excellent place to start.
“Everyone can play their part, and the range of organisations successfully installing renewable energy technologies shows that every carbon saving counts, no matter how big or small.
“Investment is needed to hit our target of reaching net-zero carbon by 2030 and it is projects such as these that are leading the way.”
Oswestry Town Council, Pearce Cycles in Ludlow, Ludlow Brewing Company, CV Rollers in Oswestry, Billcar Precision Engineering and Rowlands and Co (both in Shrewsbury), and Longmynd Travel at Lea Cross, have all been awarded grants for solar panels at their sites.
Pearce Cycles, Ludlow
Billcar Precision Engineering Ltd, Shrewsbury
Oswestry Town Council
The community-run Chelmarsh Village Hall has installed the air source heat pump.
The Marches Renewable Energy (MarRE) is an ERDF funded grant scheme towards renewable energy projects in Shropshire, Herfordshire and Telford & Wrekin. It is now closed to new applications.
