Fire stations, care homes and libraries get share of £10m for clean energy
Publicly-owned Great British Energy has awarded grant funding for mayoral authorities to install solar panels on public buildings, as well as batteries to store and use renewable energy and electric vehicle (EV) chargers, in a bid to save communities money, improve services, and cut emissions.
The funding comes alongside GB Energy's push to deliver clean energy projects for around 200 schools and hospitals with £180 million funding.
The Government said the grants range from rooftop solar on Merseyside care homes and leisure centres to solar and batteries for libraries, fire stations, police stations and sports centres – as well as EV chargers – in Greater Manchester.
Funding is also going towards solar schemes including police headquarters in Cambridgeshire, an outdoor covered market in Yorkshire and a former colliery in the East Midlands.
In West Yorkshire, Leeds City Council's Arium plant nursery and Lotherton Hall estate will be among those benefiting from clean energy funding.
Officials estimate the schemes could produce around £1 million a year in savings, and £35 million lifetime savings, on energy bills, as well as improve energy security and create good jobs.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 'Your local sports hall, library and community centre could have their energy bills cut by Great British Energy, the government's publicly-owned clean energy company.
'Our plans will mean more money can be spent on the services that make working people better off and help strengthen the ties that bind us in our communities.'
Great British Energy chief executive Dan McGrail said: 'Today's support for new clean power projects in every region in England shows our mission in action – providing a lasting positive impact for the country by creating new jobs, lower bills, and a cleaner future.
'It's important that communities feel the benefits of the energy transition and that we demonstrate the very real benefits it can bring,' he said.
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