The London Solar Story
Take a look at the map!
Around London, there are almost 13,000 solar installations sitting atop roofs, quietly generating solar electricity and a tidy profit for their owners. Combined, these solar installations produce 41,650 MWh of electricity every year – that’s enough electricity to watch 422 million episodes of Eastenders!
While many rooftop solar installations go unnoticed by people below, some are more visible. London is home to the world’s largest solar bridge; spanning the River Thames, more than 6,000m² of solar panels on Blackfriars Bridge generate enough solar electricity to meet half the station’s energy needs. This iconic solar landmark can be seen on this solar map. If you are passing by, the solar panels on the Bridge can be spotted from north and south of the river, with excellent views from the Millennium Bridge.
Rather than burning fossil fuels, solar saves carbon from being released into the atmosphere. These solar installations offset the same amount of carbon that would be released if 13 million passengers flew return from London to Rio every year.
Frans van den Heuvel, CEO at Solarcentury comments, “Londoners are solar savvy – thousands are already making money from their rooftop solar installations and using free, sustainable solar electricity to help meet their energy needs. These solar owners are also helping the UK’s energy independence – using solar electricity generated from the solar panels means the UK is less reliant on expensive coal and gas energy from abroad.”
The UK’s climate is just right for solar – panels here generate 60% of the power that they would in the Sahara Desert. Solar panels just need daylight and will generate solar electricity even on cloudy days. The British government recognises the opportunity for solar to help power the UK and has pledged to put solar on one million roofs by 2015.
Take a look at this map to see the variety of solar systems we have built over the last 15 years in London. If this is possible in London, one of the oldest cities in the world and home to over eight million people – that’s 12% of the UK’s entire population – imagine how many other cities could go solar!
