Hackney Council will be the latest local authority to set up its own energy company.
Called Hackney Light and Power, the company will be run and managed by the local authority and will play a key role in delivering the council’s decarbonisation targets set out in the climate emergency motion which was passed during the summer.
The company will launch in spring 2020 when more details about the company’s large-scale rooftop solar project will be revealed.
Energy generated by the borough will provide clean, local electrical power, reducing the carbon intensity of the grid and generating revenue for reinvestment in decarbonisation and public amenities for the benefit of all Hackney residents.
The company will also work to improve the sustainability of Hackney’s energy system by reducing energy demand while addressing fuel poverty through a new, borough-wide home insulation programme.
Hackney Light and Power will also oversee the rapid expansion of electric vehicle charging points in the borough, as part of the council’s long-term efforts to eliminate polluting combustion engines and ensure that those vehicles that remain are increasingly shared and zero-emission at the tailpipe.
Cllr Jon Burke, Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste, Transport and Public Realm said: ‘Our renewable and low-carbon energy company will focus on turning Hackney into a major generator of electricity from rooftop solar. Upcoming solar projects at London Fields Lido and the West Reservoir Leisure Centre will ensure these buildings become the first in the borough to use decentralised clean energy as a significant source of their power.
‘The company will also aim to make a major contribution to air quality and road transport emissions in the borough through electric vehicle charging, and help eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and fuel poverty by reducing demand for energy through a new scheme, called the Green Homes Programme, which will fund many low carbon, passive home insulation installations at zero cost to the household.’