Brixton Energy Co-op

3 solar PV projects have been implemented:

1. Brixton Energy Solar 1 the UK’s first inner-city, co-operatively owned renewable energy project on a social housing estate. The project involved the installation of a 37.24kWp solar power station on the roof of Elmore House on Loughborough Estate in Brixton. The capital cost for the solar photovoltaic (PV) installation was raised through a community share offer. Brixton Energy Solar 1 attracted 103 investors whom mostly live in Lambeth with nine from in and around the Loughborough Estate itself and raised £58,000 in less than a month.
2. Brixton Energy Solar 2, saw the installation of 45kW of solar electric (photovoltaic) panels on the roofs of Styles Gardens, five of the housing blocks in the Loughborough Estate, Brixton. The combined array will save approximately 16 tonnes of CO2 every year by displacing electricity generated by coal and gas power stations. Funding was raised through a community share offer, with an expected average annual return on investment of 3% and up to 50% tax relief under the Government’s Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme. The Estate is owned by Lambeth Council and managed by the Loughborough Estate Management Board (LEMB). They secured approval from Lambeth Council to install solar panels on the roofs following multiple consultation events with the residents of the estate in June and July 2012. They intend for some of the electricity generated from the solar panels to be used by LEMB directly to power the communal spaces in Styles Gardens. The remainder of electricity generated by the project will be exported to the National Grid. The electricity exported to the Grid will be used immediately by any household or business that has a need for electricity at the time the electricity is available. For instance, during the summer when the panels are producing their maximum output, the project will be producing the equivalent of enough locally-generated solar power for over 70 households on the estate. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide a direct supply of electricity from the project to the flats in Styles Garden because they are metered individually. However, they intend that these households should be the first beneficiaries of the social fund generated by income from the project, with initial emphasis on draught-busting, other energy efficiency improvements and education initiatives.
3. Using the same community led approach, the solar panels for Brixton Energy Solar 3 have been installed on four buildings within the Roupell Park Estate: Hyperion House, Fairview House, Warnham House and the Community Office. The income from the project will be derived principally from the government’s Feed-in Tariff scheme, which is guaranteed for 20 years. Some of the energy generated by the project will be used on site with the remainder energy sold directly back to the grid. After operating costs are deducted, profits resulting from the sale of energy will be used to support local energy efficiency initiatives and provide Co-operative members with an annual return on their investment. The combined array for Brixton Energy Solar 3 (52.5kW installed capacity) is expected to save approximately 22 tonnes of CO2 every year by displacing electricity that would otherwise be generated by coal and gas power stations.

What has been done so far with the Community Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) ?

• Work experience: Brixton Energy Solar 1 Co-op provided Kevin Wilson of Nevil House a two-week work placement with Southern Solar on the renewable energy installation.
• Home Energy Audits: Two home energy audits were conducted at Elmore House and Styles Gardens that included installation of energy saving measures such as energy efficient light bulbs and energy saving power down plugs.
• Energy surveys: During the last eight months, the Brixton Energy team has conducted energy surveys on the estate that demonstrated that more than half of those residents spoken to were interested in information on saving money on energy bills and related project activities.
• Energy Advice sessions: Six energy efficiency advice sessions were delivered at the Brixton Customer Centre on Brixton Hill. A total of 132 people were spoken to, of which a significant number were spending more than 10% of their income on space heating and electricity.
• Local leadership: Two members of the Brixton Energy management team are residents of the Loughborough estate and continue to be involved in the decision making and development of the projects.
• Community events: The team delivered a series of events that included draught-proofing workshops, information on energy efficiency and advice on reducing costs on energy bills. These events were held at the Transition Town Brixton shared space events at the Loughborough Centre.