Three villages set to benefit from solar panel scheme

Three villages are set to benefit from solar panels following funding of £50,250.

Peterborough City Council (PCC) said Marholm Village Hall Trust, Wansford Parish Council and Northborough Parish Council will get help towards new solar panels and lighting to help reduce carbon emissions and energy costs.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) provided the funding as part of the Net Zero Villages initiative, which will see solar panels and solar lighting installed on buildings owned by the groups.

Having declared a climate emergency in 2019, the authority said it is committed to reducing its organisational emissions to net zero by 2030.

Previously, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported that PCC needed an investment of £8.8bn to help meet its 2040 net zero carbon emissions target.

This came as the council launched the second phase of the Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) to accelerate its carbon reduction and reach its climate targets.

Councillor Angus Ellis, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "We are fully committed to working with partners and community groups to help reduce carbon emissions and are making good progress with this ongoing vital work.

"I would like to thank everyone involved in this project for their efforts and I look forward to seeing the new solar panels and lights installed. I'm sure that this work will have a positive effect in these communities for years to come."

Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "The net zero villages initiative is a vital programme empowering rural communities with the funding they need to make environmentally friendly changes and achieve our national carbon net zero goals."

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