16 March 2023

In the opening session, we shared insights into solar PV project funding from UKIB and some of the great work that Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) is doing with respect to validating business cases and the types of business model a local authority may wish to pursue in the Greater Manchester area.  

In the main session of the event, Keith Grimley proposed a challenge related to the decarbonisation and reduction in business costs of some of Gravesham Borough Council’s assets, expressing his ideas on how solar PV could be used on council-owned buildings. The roundtable of expert speakers responded with legal, regulatory, technical, market, revenue, and business modelling considerations in relation to the challenge and explored some of the more detailed issues associated with solar projects.  

Finally, Local Partnerships gave a brisk but thorough overview of the HM Treasury Green Book business case model and each of the associated templates to consider when developing a local energy project. This was followed by views from the ESC place team on how a local area energy plan can be used to develop solar PV within a region in support of getting to Net Zero.