“The Council is committed to reducing carbon emissions to meet our ambitious Net Zero targets and create a greener city for our residents. We know that a large percentage of carbon emissions in Westminster come from the built environment, and in recent years we have invested heavily in decarbonising council owned properties.”
Cllr David Boothroyd continued, “In 2022 we delivered 12 solar PV projects, including the installation of a 255-panel solar array at Queen Mother Sports Centre, and a 378-panel array at Moberly Sports Centre. Currently, we are installing solar PV on a further 10 sites, including the Avenues Youth Project in Harrow Road. The initial 12 sites will provide a total peak output of 660 kWp and generate 284,000 kWh per annum. Once the additional 10 sites have been completed, the total peak output will increase to 875 kWp. This will make a huge difference, reducing our carbon emissions by a further 48 tonnes annually.
The project will be transformative for many of Westminster City Council’s premises, with buildings such as the Avenues Youth Project, Dorothy Gardner Nursery School, Mary Patterson Nursery School, Mickey Star Nursery and Paddington Recreation Ground Changing Block now getting 100% of their heat from renewable sources, via air source heat pumps. The scheme will also see solar panels installed at the Avenues Youth Project, Beachcroft House Care Home and the Central Area Service Centre, which will provide annual electricity savings of 39,936 kWh and decrease the dependency on electricity from the grid.