Exploring renewable energy for Winchester
Renewable Energy will be the subject of the council’s next Carbon Neutrality Open Forum.
Two events – one online and one in person drop-in, will explore the different types of renewable energy and will seek the opinions and views of participants as to the renewable energy they’d like to see in the district.
The council is working with specialist energy consultants Buro Happold and Community Energy South to give further thought and exploration to increasing renewable energy provision in the district. These events mark the start of this exploration and will look at the pros and cons of each option and seek the views of attendees.
The city council has plans to be a carbon neutral district by 2030 – renewable energy is likely to be one of the most effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Exploring renewable energy is part of a commitment the council made when it declared a climate emergency back in 2019. Government figures show that currently, only 16% of energy in the district comes from renewable sources.
Since the climate emergency was announced, the city council has implemented a range of measures to reduce its carbon footprint as part of a carbon neutral action plan– installing over 2000 solar panels, launching a retrofit programme to reduce energy consumption in its council homes, installing 60 new electric vehicle charging points in car parks and switching council buildings to 100% renewable energy – to name a few.
Cllr Kelsie Learney said, Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency said:
‘We have made good strides to reduce our carbon footprint but we know we need to act faster to reach our target. It’s clear a collaborative approach is needed to achieve a carbon neutral district, but the City Council must strive and show leadership and I am pleased to host these events. Our recent Carbon Neutrality Roadmap work demonstrated renewable energy investment is one of the top three interventions to get the district to carbon neutral.
Our open forums always generate constructive and insightful debate and I encourage as many people as possible to attend.’
The events can be booked via Eventbrite and will take place on 28 June (online) and 10 July (in person)
Virtual: 6.30pm to 8.00pm on Wednesday 28 June:
In person drop-in event: 2pm to 8pm, Monday 10 July 2023
More information can be found on our website