Solent Energy Strategy

Future Solent Board Sponsor

Ben Earl

Project Leader

Gill Kneller (Havant Borough Council)

Committed Organisations

The Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH) and the University of Southampton

Project details

Meeting the energy needs of the Solent region into the future, ensuring energy security for businesses and homes, maximising the economic benefits of energy, decarbonsing the energy supply and securing investment into the optimum renewable and low carbon energy projects by taking forward the PUSH (Arup) study.

How it delivers the priorities

Priority 1: New Low Carbon & Green Technology

An energy strategy can support the development of renewable technologies within the Solent

Priority 2: Resource Efficiency in Homes and Businesses

An energy strategy will promote energy efficiency and demand management as a key component of the strategy mix.

Priority 3: Generation of Secure, Renewable & Low Carbon Energy in the Solent

The energy strategy will identify assurances, opportunities and drivers of energy security for businesses and homes into the future and will help decarbonise the energy supply, thus helping meet the national and local targets.

How it delivers the expected outcomes

Promote business growth

Currently, 97% of the Solent’s energy is imported in to the sub-region. This represents money flowing out of the local economy in increasing amounts as energy bills rise. The strategy will seek to increase the economic benefit of energy to the sub-region by retaining energy spending through more local generating capacity.

Producing more energy locally will create better energy security for the Solent making it more attractive as a place to invest in and grow businesses.

Researching and understanding what the Solent specifically needs and what it can benefit from can specifically focus investment to encourage business growth. The strategy should provide a platform for local businesses to invest in and benefit from renewable and low carbon energy projects. Savings made by reducing energy waste can be re-invested into a business to promote growth and expansion.

Create new/safeguard jobs

The strategy should support the growth of jobs within the energy sector and supply chains.

Develop an appropriate skills base

The Solent already benefits from skills within renewable energy R&D. There is potential to grow the skills base and make the Solent a leading area for renewable and low carbon energy development as well as develop skills in construction and maintenance of energy schemes.

Measureable carbon reductions

Meeting more of the energy needs of the Solent by developing more generating capacity, which is renewable or low carbon, will reduce the carbon footprint of the sub-region.

Useful Links

Recent Developments

Currently undergoing the tender process for a consultant to develop the Solent Energy Strategy (August, 2013)

A meeting with a number of Local Authorities initiated the process for capturing currently available information and the cogeneration of an overarching Future Solent Energy Strategy was initiated. This meeting was deemed necessary as it provided the vehicle to debate issues and establish the needed stakeholder scope to build on (March, 2013).