Buckinghamshire Council has announced that by October this year, 25% of the electricity it uses will come from renewable sources.
Renewable energy is one of a number of ways we tackle climate change in Buckinghamshire and it’s a vital part of the council’s Climate Change and Air Quality Action Plan.
Buying renewable energy reduces emissions of greenhouse gases and other air pollutants, and our dependence on fossil fuels.
The extraction, processing, and transportation of fossil fuels has various negative environmental impacts so this purchasing decision helps improve the Council's environmental performance overall.
The council is also increasing the number of places where it can generate its own energy. Currently there are twenty solar photovoltaic system installations which generate energy from sunlight, and more are planned for the future.
Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment said: "With high energy prices and budgetary pressures, this shows just how important having renewable energy suppliers is to us.
"This change is forecast to save nearly 1,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year in Buckinghamshire. 25% is not 100% as we are aware, and this is a balance between our commitment to address climate change and our need to balance the books. We will look to see this percentage increase in the coming years.
"Even though it's only a year since the Council's Climate Change Strategy was released,
Buckinghamshire Council has already reduced its estimated carbon emissions by over 60% from the 1990 baseline.
Today's announcement will accelerate that reduction to about 65% for next years' reporting, putting us in a strong position to achieve our 2030 target of a 75% reduction target ahead of schedule.
"This is just one strand of many in our overall strategy which takes in all kinds of fully costed actions, from our Bucks Tree Mission to investing in more electric vehicle and walking and cycling infrastructure across the county."
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