Making Coventry’s Solar Future Prospectus
Read the Prospectus below or download PDF here
Contents of this page
Journey to the clean green future
The Road Map to a Brighter Future 2014 Government report indicated the potential for 250,000 hectares of flat, south facing commercial roofs for solar panel installations, turning them into local green power stations. By adding public sector (government buildings, universities, colleges, school, hospitals) as well as third sector (faith centres, housing association etc.) this can be doubled.
Climate Change Solutions Ltd (CCS), supported by Warwick University students, undertook an initial mapping of larger building roofs and associated car park clusters in Coventry. We first started with both sides of Coventry’s 5 ½ mile canal, then moved on to Coventry city centre within the ring road and have now mapped over half of Coventry South Constituency.
There is potential for 288,000 solar panels which could generate 93,200 MWh/ year. This finding was presented by two members of our team, Peter Razzell and Rex Chiu, during the Making our Fair Green Solar Future launch presentation on the 27/10/2021, chaired by Zarah Sultana MP and greeted by Coventry Lord Mayor Cllr John McNicholas.
We have received advice and support from CCS, E.ON UK and HECE. With a new intake of University of Warwick students, we now hope to take this project to the next stage, completing the mapping of Coventry South and possibly more.
Coventry University’s Renewable Energy and Management MSc students will now progress the Coventry Canal section of the project and much more. Their academic’s support over 18 months will be sponsored by Coventry Council’s Green Business Program.
Benefits
- Reduces CO2 emissions and contributes to limiting global warming to 1.5oC
- Creates local installation and maintenance jobs
- Improved health outcomes
- Greater public and commercial awareness
Our Findings
- Currently mapped 259 sites across a 3.9km2 area
- This shows the potential for over 288,000 panels
- This yields 93,200 MWh/year
- Including 26,200 MWh/year on both sides of the Canal
- If all those panels were arranged in a single flat array, it would be 912 metres wide and 545 metres long – nearly the size of Coventry city centre
Plan
1. Phased Review
Focus on dual use infrastructure: avoids open land with competing demands from housing, agriculture etc.
Rooftop space – Car parks – Coventry Canal
2. Mapping
Model installations on clusters of sites using online tools to generate individual estimates for energy generation and system costs. Develop proposals breaking down potential environmental benefits and returns on investment.
3. Engagement
Macro: Showcase the potential for solar energy across Coventry and Warwickshire
Individual: Engage with stakeholders to develop proposals and facilitate group buying schemes, reducing costs through economies of scale and improve efficiency through consumption at point of generation
Carbon to Clean Energy
Coventry’s five-mile canal was designed by James Brindley, a Lunar Society industrial pioneer in the 1770s, to transport horse-drawn barges with heavy goods. Today, the canal combines natural habitats and leisure facilities.
This solar project offers to retrofit the multiple range of buildings on both sides of the canal into a showcase for the low-carbon clean energy revolution.
The proposal consists of installing solar panels on car parks and south facing or flat roofs alongside implementing smart systems, energy storage, electric vehicle charging points, and introducing appropriate energy efficiency in buildings.
There is economy of scale by creating clusters of neighbouring buildings, maximizing energy consumption within clusters to avoid receiving lesser returns from exporting to the National Grid. The formation of clusters also secures long-term energy cost security, while reduces local and global atmospheric pollution.
Next Steps
- Contact your current energy supplier for a half hourly energy data quote or try another solar company.
- Obtain a more accurate cost with a structural survey, combining relevant advice on energy efficiency.
- Contact your local neighbors to explore a joint energy cluster giving reduced cost benefit.
- This would integrate solar with EV charge points, smart systems and energy efficiency.
Appreciation to all contributors
Climate Change Solutions Ltd
Tony McNally Managing Director,
Richard Berry Director,
Jacqui Staunton Project Director,
University of Warwick students
Rex Chiu, Tom Scatchard
Peter Razzell, Hannah Oliver,
Martina Wrona, Jo Gosney
Philip McDermott
City Energy Transformation Lead E.ON UK
Susan Juned
Director Heart of England Community Energy.
Nancy Toure
Business Development Manager, Green Energy Together Ltd.
Angus Rose
Director Ineco Energy Ltd.
Zarah Sultana
MP Coventry South
Comfort Tevera
Director of Sustainability & Compliance, Savanna Environmental
David Chapman
Sustainability Champion
University of Warwick
Nic Cleaver
Manager Coventry Canal
Parmjit Nahil
Coventry Green New Deal.
Ken Granger
Coventry Green New Deal
Sponsors
Coventry City Council.
Heart of England Community Energy.
Green Energy Together Ltd.
Coventry University Partnership
Coventry University’s group of MSc students supervised by Dr Tom Rogers, Assistant Professor Renewable Energy & Energy Management, together with Angelines Donastorg Sosa, Assistant Lecturer. This follows the initial solar mapping by Climate Change Solutions Ltd with the aid of several University of Warwick project students.
Coventry City Council’s Green Business Program, is supporting academic supervision of this 18 months project.
More Information
For more information and support contact Coventry & Warwickshire Green Business Programme.
Climate Change Solutions Ltd will be running a series of workshops showing best practice and knowledge exchange.
Tony McNally
Managing Director
Climate Change Solutions Ltd
TecnoCentre, Puma Way
Coventry CV1 2TT