Council given £200k for green energy projects

The county council said the funding would be split between two renewable energy projects

Devon County Council (DCC) has been awarded nearly £200,000 to help reduce carbon emissions.

DCC said the funding would be split between two projects - a plan to decarbonise Heathfield industrial estate in Bovey Tracey and a study on installing solar panels on former landfill sites.

Councillor Andrea Davis, cabinet member for climate change, said: "This money will allow us to investigate if these sites can be used to generate clean, green energy and potentially income for the council."

The cash from the South West Net Zero Hub, which is funded by the government, aims to increase the number, scale and quality of net-zero projects.

Green power

A total of £99,851 was awarded for the Heathfield industrial estate plan, with a further £97,000 given for a landfill feasibility study.

DCC said it was partnering with Teignbridge District Council to look at the potential to introduce renewable energy on the estate from sources such as solar panels, green hydrogen and district heating.

The model could then be replicated on other industrial estates across the county, it said.

Once landfill sites are no longer in use, they are capped with a layer of topsoil and there are restrictions on what the land can then be used for.

However, the county council said it could be possible to use redundant sites to generate solar energy as fixings for solar panels do not have to be very deep.