Community Groups opportunity to ‘win’ free solar panels

Free solar panels are being offered to Nottingham based community groups in an initiative which could see their fuel bills cut significantly.

Nottingham City Community centres are invited to take part in a ‘competition’ to win the installation on their building. The offer is worth up to £60k – at a time when rising energy prices are often a major part of their running costs.

Local community groups or centres with a building and roof suitable for a solar panel installation can take part. The installation will be managed by YES Energy Solutions as part of their Warm Homes Local Grant contract with Nottingham City Council (NCC).

YES Energy Solutions operate as Community Interest Company and as part of their Social Value commitment to the communities of Nottingham City, they are looking to invest in the free installation of Solar PV to a suitable community building. To ensure they find a suitable community group to support they are asking for applications from across the city of Nottingham to apply.

Applications will be assessed against their ability to demonstrate clear and measurable benefit to the local Nottingham community, both now and in the future. Funding is intended for community-focused organisations. It may be used on one project or divided between separate groups depending on applications.

YES Energy Solution will design and install the largest suitable solar array for the community centre building. The solar asset will be transferred to the property owner following installation and will therefore be wholly owned by the building owner.

The solar panels will be installed in the New Year – the date will depend on the weather - and will help reduce energy bills for the community centre for years to come.

To be in with a chance of having the solar panels installed on their community building, applicants should complete this form. It involves answering a series of simple questions to establish eligibility and we require a maximum of 300 words to explain why the community group feel they are deserving of the funding. The winner will be judged by a panel consisting of representatives from NCC and YES Energy Solutions.

The competition will close to entries on Friday 30th October. The winner will be announced in November and the installation will happen in the New Year.