Currie High School pupils helped celebrate the completion of a project to install energy-saving solar panels across a range of Council-owned buildings today (Friday, 7 October). Panels have been installed on 24 buildings, including schools, community and leisure centres, in partnership with the Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative (ECSC), supported by Energy4All. The initiative, which is believed to be the largest community-owned urban renewable energy project in the UK, will benefit participating buildings with cheaper electricity, generating savings. On Friday, members of the solar co-op were joined by councillors, pupils and community representatives to toast the occasion over a solar panel-themed cake at Currie High School – the last building to be energised.
Edinburgh Solar Co-op 7th Oct 2016 read more »
Brighton gears up for new fleet of solar-powered buses. A fleet of 10 electric buses operating around town will be charged overnight at a bus depot which has solar panels on its roof. The bright yellow Big Lemon buses are a familiar sight – and smell – on the roads of Brighton and Hove. For nine years the Community Interest Company has run all its vehicles on waste cooking oil from local restaurants, recycled into biodiesel, but now it wants to go one step further. The Big Lemon wants to install solar panels on the roof of its east Brighton depot, storing the energy in batteries and charging buses overnight. It is working with the Brighton Energy Cooperative (BEC) towards a vision of zero emissions bus services in every UK community by 2030, using Brighton as a pilot.
Guardian 8th Oct 2016 read more »
Researchers in Switzerland are looking to develop a solar panel that can push out twice the energy of existing standard roof panels. The increase in efficiency could mean a rooftop system paying for itself in five years and turn solar energy into a major player.
BBC 6th Oct 2016 read more »