Solar PV Microgrids

Westminster City Council’s (WCC) Housing service manages the council’s social housing stock, which includes over 11,000 homes and 9,000 Leaseholders. The Housing Sustainability team leads on improving the energy efficiency and carbon performance of this stock to support residents with lower bills and to contribute to the council’s net zero targets.

This procurement seeks to appoint a supplier to operationalise existing solar PV installations on selected housing estates so that residents directly benefit from renewable energy already being generated, while maintaining income to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA). Through the Housing Sustainability Programme, WCC has installed ~1MW of solar PV capacity across its housing estates, including Warwick Low Rise, Avenue Gardens, and have a number in progress.

These systems currently generate electricity for landlord supply and export to the grid. The estimated electrical generation is estimated to be 450,000 KWH per year with minimal onsite use.

There are over 500 homes in the 2 Estates. The next phase of work is to connect residents directly to the solar generation, allowing them to benefit through lower electricity bills and improve Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings, without requiring additional investment in PV installation. We are not expecting to cable to each flat from the PV array.