LOW-INCOME households are set to have their energy bills slashed as the Island pioneers a massive solar energy project
A £25 million project to revolutionise Isle of Wight energy production has been announced by green community body Ecoisland.
Using private equity investment that has already been secured, the Ecoisland Community Interest Company (CIC) has announced a plan to install photovoltaic solar panels on houses and businesses across the Island.
The first installations are expected to be on the roofs of thousands of social housing properties over the next two years, helping some of the Island’s poorest households.
The first installations could take place next month, according to Ecoisland CIC chief executive David Green.
He said: "This could make the Island a beacon of sustainability to the rest of the world."
Mr Green met with the Treasury on Tuesday to discuss the project and the possibility for similar schemes in other parts of the UK.
"There is a lot of interest in what we are doing on the Island," he said.
Over the last five months, each of the six major UK energy suppliers announced price hikes of between 4.5 per cent and 16 per cent.
However, under the Island scheme the solar panels would be installed free of charge to residents, who would then receive free electricity while the panels are producing power — which should be during all hours of daylight, not just in direct sunlight.
The Ecoisland CIC will use government feed-in tariffs, cash paid by the government for sustainable energy production, to repay the £25 million investment.
A community fund will also be set up to use some of the cash from feed in tariffs to fund green projects on the Island, such as electric bike schemes, allotments and environmental education.
Businesses, including hotels and industrial units, and other buildings such as churches and schools, will also have the chance to benefit from the scheme, by allowing their roof spaces to be used for solar panels.
The feed-in tariff is paid regardless of how much electricity is consumed by participants, allowing the repayment of the investment.
Ecoisland said it would ensure Islanders would also benefit from training and employment opportunities from the scheme.
Vince Wedlock-Ward, project officer for Southern Housing Group, said negotiations with Ecoisland had been going well.
"I get two or three calls a week from people who are struggling to pay their fuel bills. I think fuel prices could double every four years and installing solar panels is a quick way to help address this," he said.
He said they had almost 400 solar panels fitted to their properties through other schemes and residents’ electricity bills fell by up to 60 per cent.
He highlighted environmental benefits, claiming that, for every average home with solar panels, producing 2.4KW of electricity, it reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 1.2 tonnes a year.
• To find out more about the scheme and how it could benefit you, go to www.iwcp.co.uk/solar.aspx