100 homes in Swansea retrofitted to use solar. Image: Penderi Energy Project
100 homes in Swansea’s Penderi community have been retrofitted to generate, store and use their own solar energy.
Anticipated to be the ‘largest’ scheme of its kind in the UK, according to Penderi Energy Project, 650 homes will be retrofitted to utilise solar energy in order to reduce their carbon footprint by as much as 350 tonnes annually.
The homes in Penderi will be fitted with battery energy storage systems (BESS) able to harness power generated via solar panels installed in suitable homes within the community.
The homes are owned and managed by Pobl Group who have partnered with net zero energy technology and service supplier Sero and lead contractor and installation specialists, Everwarm. Homes will also have new smart technology and intelligent energy controls, managed through a digital app by Sero.
The project has been backed with £3.5 million in EU funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
“We have in the last few weeks seen the highest temperatures ever recorded in Wales, and this has brought into focus more than ever why we need to be tackling the climate emergency and reducing carbon emissions from our existing homes has a critical role to play in this,” said James Williams, co-founder and CEO of Sero.
“Alongside the spiralling cost of living crisis, the need for retrofit has never been greater, and that is why it is so important to be demonstrating how we can deliver innovative projects at scale, such as Penderi.”