Seventeen new community energy schemes in the capital are set to benefit from new development funding from the Mayor Sadiq Khan’s London Community Energy Fund (LCEF).
This funding is from the third phase of LCEF which aims to support community groups through the early development stages of energy projects. This can include undertaking feasibility studies, paying for technical consultancy fees or seeking legal advice.
The additional £100,000 to the fund from the Mayor of London is going to support even more community energy projects, bringing the total up to half a million pounds (£500,000). So far, the London Community Energy Fund has supported a total of 48 projects across 82 buildings, expecting to save approximately 1,500 tons of carbon every year.
Community Energy London Chair, Syed Ahmed, said: “We welcome further support by the Mayor for community energy projects across the capital. These 17 projects show the wealth of talent across London’s community energy groups, rising to the challenge of the climate emergency, to identify, develop and in most cases directly fund new carbon reduction projects in their neighbourhoods.”
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “Tackling the climate emergency requires action from everyone, and at City Hall we are introducing bold, innovative policies such as zero-carbon standards for all new London buildings and helping community groups starting their own energy projects. My London Community Energy Fund provides much-needed support to local groups to get their projects up and running, from putting solar panels on school roofs, to improving the energy efficiency of community buildings. I’m proud that City Hall is leading the way in supporting community energy, despite Government cuts to funding. That’s why I’ll continue to lobby for more support to replicate this success, both in London and across the country.”
Projects awarded include the installation of solar panels on schools in Ealing, Harrow, Camden and Catford and a golf club in Haringey; sustainability work on a theatre in Wimbledon; and Energy Gardens on Transport for London (TfL) stations. Also funded was the feasibility of an anaerobic digester in Loughborough Junction; high efficiency LED lighting projects in Southwark and Lewisham; and an Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP) scheme in Lewisham.
London groups scored highly in the November 2019 Community Energy England Awards, with groups winning across multiple areas.