More than 150 churches across the country have benefitted from the installation of solar panels, thanks to renewable energy provider Ecotricity. The Stroud-based energy supplier has installed over 100 solar arrays in the South West since January 25.
On January 25, the Court of Appeal rejected the Government’s appeal against the High Court ruling that cuts to solar photovoltaic feed-in tariffs levels were ‘legally flawed’. Before feed-in tariff rates were dramatically reduced on December 12, only 47 church buildings in the diocese of Gloucester, Exeter and Bath & Wells had installed solar panels. Since the High Court appeal, Ecotricity has installed more than 100 solar PV systems across the South West dioceses, in addition to 300 churches, vicarages and Church of England schools that use green energy from Ecotricity.
The Church of England has also announced that it has chosen Ecotricity as its preferred supplier for every parish in the UK, as part of the Church’s new ‘Parish Buying’ scheme.
The Church of England’s ambitious national campaign, ‘Shrinking the Footprint’, has targeted an 80 percent reduction of carbon output by 2050 from the 16,000 churches located throughout the UK.
Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “The Church of England is setting a great example for others to follow. They are looking right across their organisation and making it as sustainable as possible.
The Ecotricity founder spoke of the need for all organisations to follow the Church of England's lofty green aspirations, saying: “The need to protect the environment is unarguable these days and organisations of all shapes, sizes and creeds need to step up and take responsibility like the Church of England has done.”