The Harberton Parish Solar Homes Project
As a forward-thinking parish, we are already generating a lot of our own renewable energy through solar panels on homes, buildings and farms. The aim of this project is to research and record how much energy we are generating and how much CO2 are we avoiding as a result.
The Benefits of Local Solar Energy
Anyone who has solar panels whether through foresight or grant support is in a really good position because they:
- Have their own free energy supply during parts of the day.
- Can reduce their energy bills.
- Can sell any excess energy that they generate (to their electricity company or to an Energy Local Club).
- Will have a smaller Carbon Footprint.
Why Are We Doing This?
This information will be very helpful for our Harberton Parish Neighbourhood Plan, so that we can more accurately assess how much energy we are already generating in the Parish and measure our improving self-sufficiency as more people install solar panels.
It will also be inspirational for all of us in the Parish to see how well we are already doing.
Being A Part of the UK Energy Transition
We are at the start of a massive energy transition in the UK and globally. We are:
- Tripling our sources of renewable energy.
- Developing local energy supplies rather than being dependant on distant ones.
- Developing local energy storage systems.
- Moving away from polluting fossil fuels.
- Digitilising the energy system so that it can be much more responsive.
- Increasing energy system security by becoming more locally self-sufficient.
- People become prosumers instead of just consumers of energy (i.e. many will be able to produce and sell or share energy as well as just use it themselves).
This transition has been going for a number of years. Already, 1/3 of all of the energy that we use in the UK is produced by renewable energy sources.
And here in Harberton Parish…
Harberton, Harbertonford, East Leigh, West Leigh, Sandwell, Belsford, Hazard, Blue Post, Beenleigh, Luscombe, Washbourne & the many other gorgeous hamlets in Harberton Parish (see adjacent parish boundary map) are already leading the way to a cleaner, more self-sufficient and secure future by having installed solar panels on their roofs. As such, it would seem to be great moment to discover and celebrate just how well we are already doing.
We are collating information about the solar PV that we already have for the Harberton Parish Council’s Neighbourhood Plan.
Please register below if you have solar panels and live in the Harberton parish (see map).
We are collecting the following type of information:
- How many panels you have?
- How many kWh you might produce per year?
- (Do you have an air source/ground source heat pump?)
As we collect these figures we will be able to collate them and show them as the total kWh capacity of the whole parish, which we can then factor in to the neighbourhood plan and also publish in our local newsletters (the Harberton Circular and the Harbertonford Village Life), as well as here.
We will email you the questions when you register. (N.B. None of your personal details will be publically available).
Thank you for your help with this.
