06.04.20
Hackney Council now using 100% renewable electricity
Hackney Council has announced that 100% of its electricity is now supplied by renewable sources.
The change, which came into effect last week, is part of the council’s action plan to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.
All of the council’s electricity now comes from wind and solar power and supports a range of other decarbonisation measures such as the recent Green Homes programme, which offers free insulation and trials renewable heating solutions for residents.
The programme is mutually beneficial for residents and the council as bills reduce and so do greenhouse gas emissions.
Large rooftop solar panel schemes have been rolled out across council buildings thanks to Hackney Light and Power, the council’s publicly owned energy company, as well as converting all street lamps to be energy-efficient LED bulbs by 2022.
To support the decarbonisation of transport, Hackney council has also announced plans to install 182 extra electric vehicle charging points this year as well as a study looking at feasibility of delivering these chargers on every street in the borough.
Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney said:
“Even in the difficult times we are living through we must still take the long-term action we need to reduce our energy consumption and switch to cleaner energy.
“In our 2018 Manifesto, we committed to transforming the way we generate, consume, and purchase our energy, and just two years later, we’ve become one of the first councils in the country to be completely powered by clean electricity, showing significant progress towards meeting our stretching targets of 45% decarbonisation against 2010 levels by 2030, and net zero emissions by 2040.”
Cllr Jon Burke, Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste, Transport and Public Realm went on to describe further action being taken by the authority.
This includes the largest urban tree planting programme in the country, a forthcoming Low Plastic Zone and the UK’s largest drinking fountain programme.
“By committing to redirect our current spend on electricity of £6.5m per year towards overwhelmingly domestic energy supply, this decision not only means that the many Hackney schools who procure energy alongside the Council are decarbonising, but also represents a vote of confidence in the UK renewables industry and the many high-skilled, secure jobs of the future it is creating.”
Photo: Hackney Council - Mayor Philip Glanville and Cllr Jon Burke