Community solar company Repowering London has completed the installation of a 102kW rooftop installation on Hackney’s Banister House estate.
The project has been developed through a partnership involving Repowering London, local residents and Hackney Council, using funds raised through a public share issue.
The system will generate up to 82,000kWh of energy each year for residents and a portion of revenue generated under the feed-in tariff will help establish a £28,000 community fund for Banister House.
Agamemnon Otero, chief executive at Repowering London, said the project was “all about wellbeing”, adding: “This project on Banister House Estate is the start of a democratised energy movement that will create a community energy revolution.”
Councillor Feryal Demirci, Hackney council cabinet member for neighbourhoods and sustainability, said the London borough was proud to house the city’s largest community-owned energy scheme.
“The benefits for the Banister Housing Estate have been manifold, including training opportunities, investment prospects and, of course, production of clean, renewable energy for the estate for the next 20 years,” he said.
The project was helped by a number of local residents between 15 and 21 years of age who undertook paid internships to help get it off the ground, including those working in IT, technical, legal, structural and media departments.