In one of our guest blogs for the Greater Manchester Green Summit, Sureserve highlight how practical renewable projects, such as Sureserve’s community solar scheme in Swansea, can cut carbon, lower bills and create local economic value.
Greater Manchester has shown that climate ambition must be matched by delivery. The region’s leadership on retrofit, procurement and social value demonstrates that environmental progress and economic growth are not mutually exclusive, but rather that they can move together in tandem and bring huge benefits to a region’s economy and its people.
At Sureserve, we’re proud to share these ambitions through our work scaling practical models that see results. We don’t just present theory, or pilots that never expand, we deliver real projects that cut carbon, reduce bills and create local value.
One example of this in action is our Community Solar Share Scheme delivered in Blaen y Maes, Swansea.
Working alongside Pobl Group and Sero, Sureserve Energy helped transform energy use for 644 families. Over 4,500 solar panels were installed across the community, generating more than 1.1MWh of clean electricity each year, while individually, each home received smart batteries, intelligent energy management systems, smart meters and upgraded heating controls, creating a coordinated local energy system that benefits everyone. Today, this installation supplies around 60 per cent of the neighbourhood’s energy needs.
Through this Community Solar Share Scheme, every household benefits equally from the power generated. Residents pay less than the Ofgem price cap for their solar energy, and excess electricity is exported back to the grid, generating around £100,000 per year through the Smart Export Guarantee. That income is reinvested into maintaining and improving the housing stock.
The result is simple. The community benefits from lower bills, reduced carbon emissions and a renewable income stream for landlords, not to mention the local jobs delivered by local installers. It is a model built around fairness, participation and long term sustainability.
For Greater Manchester, the relevance is clear.
The city region has ambitious carbon targets and a strong housing retrofit programme already underway. Its initiatives and awards have shown leadership in its environmental work, procurement and social value, and it continues to explore how community scale renewable generation and smart energy systems can further strengthen local delivery.
Sureserve has had a presence in Manchester for more than a decade. We have long-term partnerships with several Greater Manchester based housing providers and we understand the housing landscape here. We understand the pressures facing providers and residents, but we also know that the region continues to evolve and look forward, and these shared values above that we align so closely with.
This is why the Green Summit matters.
We are excited not only to showcase our expertise in large scale retrofit and renewable delivery to our Manchester friends, but also to learn from and contribute even more to the region’s approach.
Greater Manchester has built a collaborative model between local government, housing providers and its people, and just as our Community Solar Share Scheme in Swansea demonstrates, that spirit of partnership and putting the local community first is essential in a sector like ours.
At Sureserve, we continue to be incredibly focused on what comes next and how to contribute even further to this city region by helping to meet carbon targets, build resilient communities and create skilled jobs to ensure that the benefits of sustainability investment stay local. This Green Summit will provide the platform to deepen our partnerships, share proven models and explore how renewable innovation can support the region’s next phase of progress.
We are excited to be part of the journey that Greater Manchester is taking and we look forward to continuing our support of its continued leadership on climate action.
