Renewable energy in South Gloucestershire

There are four main renewable energy sources used for power in the UK, wind, solar, hydroelectric and bioenergy.

These sustainable sources are a cleaner way for us to produce energy than burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas as there are no waste products.

The burning of fossil fuels is contributing to climate change which is having an increasingly negative impact on people and nature around the globe. 

Renewable energy sources can be used to generate electricity or heat to power heating or cooling systems for our homes to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

Our commitment to renewable energy

We are dedicated to reducing our carbon emissions by installing renewable energy technologies in our buildings: 

• our main office in Yate is heated with a biomass boiler and is certified as BREEAM excellent 
• we have 2 solar photovoltaic (PV) schemes at Badminton Road and Moorend that generate nearly 1000 MWh of electricity each year 
• we are installing new technology such as roof mounted solar PV arrays, solar thermal arrays, biomass boilers, ground source and air source heat pumps in our buildings and schools 

Energy demand and the climate emergency

We aim to increase power generation from renewable sources to help meet targets in our climate emergency declaration where we pledged that South Gloucestershire would be carbon neutral by 2030. 

Find out more on our climate and nature emergency page.

How we measure this

We monitor the proportion of annual energy demand in South Gloucestershire generated from renewable energy installations.

You can find out more in our annual data dashboard report.

Renewable energy resource assessment study

A renewable energy resource assessment study (RERAS) for South Gloucestershire was completed in Autumn 2021 as part of our climate emergency action plan.

The study assessed the potential for renewable, low and zero carbon energy technologies at different scales and in different locations.

This will inform the development of local planning policy and other services where renewable energy resources need to be considered.

You can find out more in our RERAS report.

A landscape sensitivity assessment report on solar PV and wind energy was also done to support the study.

Planning requirements and sustainable energy

If you wish to install renewable energy technology in your home this is a permitted development right in most cases but you should check if the work requires planning consent and building regulations approval. 

All major residential and non-residential development proposals are required by local planning application requirements  to include the submission of energy information.

This should be in the form of a sustainable energy statement or as part of a design and access statement.

You can find further information and advice on loans on our home energy page.

Contact us

For enquiries about renewable energy in South Gloucestershire you can email EnvironmentalPolicy@southglos.gov.uk.