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Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston has announced a successful bid worth £700,000 to install a solar car park canopy scheme which will contribute towards powering Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s police headquarters.
The force says that the solar car park canopy scheme in Huntingdon has the potential to produce over 350 kW of energy, support decarbonisation goals and generate electricity across the site, including future electric vehicle charging. This could mean savings of up to £87,000 per year in energy costs and 294 tonnes of CO2e carbon emissions over the lifetime of the project.
The force worked in partnership with the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority to submit its application to the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero for the Mayoral Renewable Fund Grant – a £10 million grant scheme to develop renewable energy projects locally. The aim of this grant is to contribute to the Government’s ambition to develop 8MW of clean power in support of Clean Power 2030.
“This is great news for the Constabulary and evidences the hard work put in to help create a greener police estate – something all police forces aspire to.
“This investment is part of a wider estates’ strategy focused on reducing the Constabulary’s carbon footprint across its estate – something that will ultimately save taxpayers’ money.
“As a large organisation at the centre of community life, it’s important the Constabulary does what it can to create opportunities to protect our limited resources, creating a cleaner environment for future generations.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston.
Paul Bristow, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: “I’m pleased that this Combined Authority grant will deliver substantial savings for the Constabulary, which frees up vital funds that can be re-invested into keeping our communities safe. With energy costs continuing to rise, this shift to solar panel is both essential and forward thinking.
“By installing them in underutilised areas like car parks, we maximise efficiency without sacrificing valuable farmland. Taxpayer money can be directed towards frontline policing rather than operational overheads.”
Organisations can achieve net zero by cutting the greenhouse gas emissions they produce and then offsetting any remaining emissions with carbon removal strategies so the net impact on the atmosphere is zero. The Government has set a target to become net zero by 2050.
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