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Agenda item

Commercial Solar Photovoltaic Installations on Council Assets

Purpose

To seek agreement to invest in the installation of solar PV on the roofs of buildings owned and in some cases leased by the Council based on the business cases set out within this report.  To agree to enter into a contract with the preferred contractor for the installation of the solar PV.

 

Recommendations

1) Agree to recommend that Full Council should agree to proceed with the investment in roof mounted solar PV based on the business cases in this report, and that,

2) The Council seeks to enter into sale agreements, for the electricity  generated, with the tenants, with the terms of these agreements and the decision to proceed with some but not all tenants delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance.

3) Agree to enter into contract with the preferred contractor identified in Annex A, for the provision and installation of Solar PV. and related equipment.

4) Delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer the decision to exclude any tenanted sites based on further Due Diligence associated with energy usage or vulnerability around continued tenant occupation.

5) Delegate to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer the decision to adjust the indicative electricity sale price to tenants as long as changes to the projected project returns are in-line with projections contained within this report.

6) Agree to recommend that Full Council should set aside funding for contingency costs of £27,000 from the Council Priorities Fund with delegation to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer to allocate subject to the business case still being viable or expenditure being unavoidable due to structural condition of the building.

Allocate revenue funding of £3,400/year for a part-time shared Energy Manager post and include in the next budget update.  Noting that this will be funded from Solar PV income.

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to seek agreement to invest in the installation of solar PV on the roofs of buildings owned and in some cases leased by the Council based on the business cases set out within this report and to agree to enter into a contract with the preferred contractor for the installation of the solar PV.

 

The proposal was introduced by the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Finance. The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability stated that the proposal demonstrated the Council’s commitment to addressing climate change.

 

The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability made reference to the wildfires across Europe, which highlighted the timeliness of the proposal.

 

The report highlighted that making an investment in solar PV would contribute to reducing the climate impact of electricity consumption within the Council’s estate (both Council-occupied and tenanted). It was stated in the report that benefits to the Council would include:

·         delivering a part of its commitment to becoming net zero carbon in operation by 2030,

·         generating a return on investment (as per the financial model in the business case annex),

·         fulfilling one of the stated purposes of the Cotswold Climate Investment (The Council’s Community Municipal Investment Fund) and

·         supporting a tenant organisation in their own carbon reduction journey.

 

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor Mike Evemy and seconded by Councillor Mike McKeown.

 

RESOLVED that Cabinet:

 

1)            RECOMMEND that Full Council should agree to proceed with the investment in roof mounted solar PV based on the business cases in this report, and that,

 

2)            The Council seeks to enter into sale agreements, for the electricity generated, with the tenants, with the terms of these agreements and the decision to proceed with some but not all tenants delegated to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in consultation with the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance.

 

3)            AGREE to enter into contract with the preferred contractor identified in Annex A, for the provision and installation of Solar PV and related equipment.

 

4)            DELEGATE to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer the decision to exclude any tenanted sites based on further due diligence associated with energy usage or vulnerability around continued tenant occupation.

 

5)            DELEGATE to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer the decision to adjust the indicative electricity sale price to tenants as long as changes to the projected project returns are in-line with projections contained within this report.

 

6)            RECOMMEND to Council to set aside funding for contingency costs of £27,000 from the Council Priorities Fund with delegation to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer to allocate subject to the business case still being viable or expenditure being unavoidable due to structural condition of the building.

 

7)            AGREE to allocate revenue funding of £3,400/year for a part-time shared Energy Manager post and include in the next budget update. Noting that this will be funded from Solar PV income.

 

Record of Voting – For: 8, Against 0, Abstention 0, Absent: 0

 

For

Against

Absent

Abstentions

Claire Bloomer

 

 

 

Joe Harris

 

 

 

Juliet Layton

 

 

 

Lisa Spivey

 

 

 

Mike Evemy

 

 

 

Mike McKeown

 

 

 

Paul Hodgkinson

 

 

 

Tony Dale

 

 

 

 

 

Supporting documents:

 

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