Power Up North London, a not for profit that has installed solar panels on public buildings since 2015, predict they will be able to install solar on around five large buildings each year for the duration of the contract

A DEAL to give a community energy group the right to install solar panels across the borough has been sealed this week.

Power Up North London is a not-for-profit that has installed solar panels on public buildings since 2015 – helping a sports centre, GP surgery, three secondary schools and a church slash their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint.

And this week, they announced they had signed a 20-year contract with Camden Council, which gives them the right to explore putting solar panels on any publicly owned, non-residential building.

PUNL CEO Dr Anna Burrage told the New Journal the deal would cut red tape and allow them to identify public buildings that would benefit from solar panels.

She said: “In practical terms, Camden Council has given us permission to scope out any non-residential, local authority-owned buildings, allowing us to explore their suitability for solar panels or retrofit. It gives us an implicit landlord’s consent. This agreement puts us in a good position to help decarbonise buildings.”

PUNL predicts they will be able to install solar on around five large buildings each year for the duration of the contract.

Dr Burrage added: “It means we have a licence to use roof spaces, and can facilitate organisations to sell any excess power generated.

“In this first year we will be doing a lot of scoping projects, looking for places that are suitable. The advantages are numerous – there is the decarbonisation element – making renewable energy accessible and local. We bring down the cost of energy use to the occupants, and set a fixed price that does not rise with inflation. Once the energy generated has paid back the installation costs, it is the occupants to keep.

“Generating electricity on a local level increases energy resilience and is more efficient, and we are a not-for-profit, so any funds we generate goes straight back into helping more people generate renewable energy.

“This is a big moment for Power Up. It’s a recognition of the impact of our work so far in Camden and across north London, and our ability to scale up to deliver multiple projects concurrently.”

PUNL say the deal – the first of its kind for a local authority in London – can open the door for other similar schemes.

Dr Burrage added: “Our partnership with Camden puts us ahead of the game.

“We believe this new model could transform how other councils and community energy organisations work together to build energy resilience and reduce energy costs locally.

“And at a time when we’re seeing record temperatures, projects like this show what actually works – clean, local, affordable energy that benefits communities.”