Essex County Council works together with a group-buying scheme called ‘Solar Together’ to give residents a group-purchase discount on solar panels, with the aim of promoting solar implementation within Essex. Solar Together has also worked with other councils in the past, such as Suffolk, Surrey, Kent, and Cambridgeshire County Councils.
Solar Group Purchase Discount
The premise is that the more people that register, the cheaper the cost of the solar panels are for each person, and there is a minimum 25% saving on the standard solar panel system per household. This year is the fifth iteration of the scheme, and it remained open until 22nd March 2024. Last year, at least 6,600 residents signed up for the scheme, which was the most successful year to date.
Solar panels can provide savings in the long run, however the initial outlay can be very expensive. Schemes such as these lessen the barriers to entry within this market. Solar Together Essex claims to have facilitated over 2,200 solar panel installations across the region, as of January 2024.
Figure 1: Residential Rooftop Solar Panels. [4]
Conclusions
Schemes such as these aim to make small-scale solar energy more accessible and affordable to residents, as part of the UK’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
About Pager Power
Pager Power has strong experience in assessing glint and glare generated by solar panels and can help developers to determine the potential impacts upon nearby receptors such as: nearby road users, residential amenity, aviation activity and railway infrastructure. For more information about what we do, please get in touch.
References
[1] https://www.essex.gov.uk/news/2024/solar-together-scheme-still-open last accessed 15th April 2024.
[2] https://www.essex.gov.uk/news/2023/record-number-essex-residents-sign-solar-panel-group-buying-scheme last accessed 15th April 2024.
[3] https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24073610.essexs-council-backed-solar-scheme-returns/ last accessed 15th April 2024.
[4] https://unsplash.com/photos/a-man-and-woman-solar-installers-engineers-with-tablet-while-installing-solar-panel-system-on-house-rear-view-I1ISyNH4WH8 last accessed 15th April 2024.
