Earlier this year, the clever folks at environmental think tank, Green Alliance, mapped out all 700,000 renewable energy projects across the country in order to uncover England's greenest town! From the gigantic wind farm down the road, to the solar panel on your neighbour's roof, the survey included both commercial and residential projects, counting those which utilise solar, wind, biomass and landfill gas energies.
The Big Winner...
After collating the data, one town trumped them all... drum roll please! And the winner was... Grimsby! That's right - this famous fishing town on the east coast of England is also the country's greenest town, generating more electricity from renewables than anywhere else in England!
For a town which had recently suffered an economic downturn and high levels of unemployment, Grimsby is now back on the up after becoming the renewable energy capital of England. Sourcing its energy from large onshore wind farms and rooftop solar panels, the town now produces a whopping 28% of its power from renewable sources! Grimsby also has a huge number of offshore wind turbines, which have brought over 1,500 jobs to the area.
The town’s past also contributed - many of its engineers and manufactures (who had previously worked at power plants and refineries), have been able to adapt their skill sets to meet the demand for renewables, raising awareness and acceptance of new and clean energy sources in the community.
What Other Towns Are Green?
Coming in at a respectable second was Doncaster, which produces 19% of its energy from renewable sources, and Warrington in third with just under 19%. It’s clear that the North of the UK is leading the way on renewable energy, with Cardiff and Swindon the only Southern UK towns in the top 10! The larger cities struggled to pull their weight with Birmingham at only 1.4%, and London at a measly 0.06%, according to the research.
Want to Learn More?
Take a look at the Renewable Energy Locator, a handy online tool which showcases all renewable projects up and down the UK. You can also follow @GreenAllianceUK on Twitter to find out more about the great work they do, and the latest developments in renewable energy!
The UK is a unique position to demonstrate leadership on renewable energy sources, and the more we can spread news of success stories, like Grimsby, the greener the future we have ahead of us!