Portsmouth Solar Generation

Portsmouth City Council generates a record amount of solar generation - thanks to the 266 hours of Sunshine last May.

05:17 16 June 2020

Portsmouth City Council's solar panels have generated a record of 1.3GWh of power last May. The MET Office said that it is due to the 266 hours of sunshine last month, which beat the record set in June 1857, when there were 265 hours of sunshine. 

 

The council's solar panels, which were installed in schools, offices, community centres and housing sites, generated 14per cent more power in 2020 than they did during the same spring period in 2019. They are part of the council's multi-million-pound scheme that saw the installation of more than240 solar modules on the council's housing blocks in 2014 and 2016. 

 

Councillor Dareen Sanders, cabinet member of housing, said: "This record is a real statement as to the success of our ongoing solar campaign; which helps to reduce the council's energy overheads whilst tackling climate change and providing much-needed employment in the low-carbon sector. 

 

"Our commitment to this technology remains strong, with a new multi-million-pound procurement framework close to being established to help to deliver solar and storage in the coming years." 

 

The council is committed to installing more solar panels following the success of the scheme. They have confirmed plans to promote PV deployment and committed millions of pounds to further developments using the technology. 

 

Councillor Dave Ashmore, cabinet member for environment and climate change, added: "It's important that everyone does their bit to tackle climate change and Portsmouth City Council is no exception. 

 

"We recognise that there is more to do, which is why this council has declared a climate emergency and helped set up the Climate Action Board to action further change. Whilst it is undoubtedly good news to see such as a huge amount of solar-generated energy, we shouldn't lose sight that the phenomena driving this, such as record-low rainfall and high temperature may themselves be down to human-made climate change. We should prioritise a green recovery as we come out of the Covid-19 crisis to ensure our planet is fit for future generations.