HAMPSHIRE Solar Together 2024 Update

The behaviour changes of Hampshire residents by switching to solar PV and clean energy, has a positive carbon impact.

Solar Together Hampshire is a scheme offering high-quality solar panels and battery storage. It is a group-buying scheme that brings Hampshire homeowners together to get solar panels at a competitive price. Hampshire County Council is working with independent and trusted experts, iChoosr Ltd, to help make the switch to clean energy as cost-effective and easy as possible. Solar Together Hampshire has been running since 2021, with successful outcomes.

At the beginning of the scheme, Hampshire County Council send out targeted letters to encourage residents of Hampshire to register their interest in the Solar Together scheme, with no obligation to continue. After the registration stage, iChoosr will conduct a reverse auction, where trustworthy, pre-vetted, and approved suppliers bid for the work. The supplier, which is often local, with the lowest price will be granted the work. The group-buying scheme ensures that the more people that register, the better the deal should be for each household. Residents are sent personal recommendations with a predicted quote for the installation of solar PV on their property. This is followed by a survey and Solar PV installation.

During the first Solar Together Hampshire scheme, there were 8,103 registrants from 170,000 letters. The price that was offered by the installer in the reverse auction was 36% cheaper than the market price of an equivalent system at the time. The first iteration of the scheme led to 734 installations, equivalent to 3.6MW of installed capacity. It is estimated that the installations will deliver a carbon reduction of 16,500 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next 25 years.

The second iteration of the scheme occurred in 2022. During this time there was a rise in energy prices and the cost of living. Consequently, Hampshire residents were looking for methods to reduce their energy bills and dependence on the grid by generating their own clean energy, leading to an increase in installations. The price that was offered by the installers that won the reverse auction was 15% cheaper than the market price of an equivalent system at the time. Overall, the scheme delivered 1,434 installations, which is the equivalent of 6.3MW installed capacity. It is estimated that the installations of the second scheme will deliver a carbon reduction of 29,085 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next 25 years.

For the third iteration of Solar Together Hampshire, 152,000 letters were sent to Hampshire residents. Of those who registered, 1,078 households accepted their personal recommendation. However, 449 residents dropped out post accepting for multiple reasons such as their roof being unsuitable, or their financial circumstances changing. The third Solar Together scheme is on-going, and it is predicted that there will be 594 installations by the end of the scheme.

The behaviour changes of Hampshire residents by switching to solar PV and clean energy, has a positive carbon impact. The estimated carbon reduction that has been created by the installation of rooftop solar PV across the three schemes is the equivalent to 40,000 residents cutting down on meat consumption or 12,800 residents driving electric cars . The continuation of Solar Together Hampshire will assist Hampshire residents in deciding to choose clean energy and reduce their carbon impact. The long-term impacts of solar PV on the roofs of Hampshire will reduce carbon emissions, helping the County to reach the climate target to be carbon neutral by 2050.

By Katie Rossiter – Hampshire County Council , Climate Action Team

Source: MCS database (calculations analysed by Jonathon Baker, Hampshire County Council)