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Solar PV on PFI sites in Cornwall

Photograph of solar panels

Project Summary

Cornwall Council procured legal advice to unlock installation of Solar PV on council-owned school and waste sites operating under Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contracts. The project also produced a generic legal advice pack for other local authorities to use to unlock their own buildings operating under the PFI scheme. 

Background

Cornwall Council has a target of delivering 2MW of new renewable installations annually and to date 657KW have been installed, saving approximately 159 tonnes CO2 annually. Opportunities were identified for installs on Council-owned buildings under PFI contracts, specifically waste and school sites.

Our Role

In addition to providing grant funding from the Local Net Zero Fund to enable the legal support to be commissioned, the South West Net Zero Hub provided early technical input into some of the legal issues facing the deployment of solar on PFI contracts that helped shape the commission. 

Location

Various school and waste sites in Cornwall.

Technology / What Happened

Solar photovoltaic (PV) – roof-mounted systems.

Financing and Ownership

A Local Net Zero Fund grant from the South West Net Zero Hub enabled Cornwall Council to procure the legal advice.

Benefits

Installation of renewable energy with consequential reduction in energy bills and reduction in carbon footprint.

Next Steps

Proceed with technical feasibility studies and negotiation with the project contractors. 

If you work within a public sector organisation and would like a copy of the legal advice pack, please email us at SWNetZeroHub@westofengland-ca.gov.uk.