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Introduction
To address the Climate Emergency and deliver the Council’s 2040 net-zero target, all energy currently provided by fossil fuels for heating, transport and electricity in Dorset will need to come from a low-carbon source. This will require an enormous increase in renewable electricity generation in the County.
Dorset Council cannot itself deploy the GigaWatts of renewable energy required at a county level, nor does it have control of national planning policy or the economics of renewable energy. But, there are many things that the Council can do to facilitate the transition from the current state to a situation where Dorset supplies its own energy demands with renewable energy.
After detailed evidence and information gathering exercises, led by the EAP and carried out by officer working groups, it has been recommended that the Council implement the following 12 actions.
Milestones have been identified for each action. The plan below shows the immediate targets we will need to achieve by 2023 to keep us on track.
Objective 1
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ensure Dorset Council’s estate becomes zero-carbon by 2040 | Direct | Low | Builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability | High |
| Actions | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-23 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximise opportunities for Solar PV on Dorset Council buildings | Direct | Low | Builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability | High | 10 installations
|
Objective 2
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase renewable energy generation on Council owned land | Direct, partnership/influence | Low | Improves ecology, builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability | High |
| Actions | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-23 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construct large renewable energy installation (around 60 MW of solar PV or 30 MW of wind turbines) to meet Council’s demand | Direct | Low | Improves ecology, builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability | High | 20MW of capacity secured by 2023 |
Commission study to identify opportunities for renewable energy in County Farms and Council car-parks. |
Direct | Low | Improves ecology | Low | Studies completed by June 2021 |
Objective 3
| Objective | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Increase renewable energy generation in Dorset |
Indirect, partnership/influence | Medium | Improves ecology, builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability, enhances health and wellbeing | High |
| Actions | Action type | CO2 saving potential | Co-benefits | Cost | 2021-23 target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
As Local Planning Authority actively encourage renewable energy deployment by:
|
Indirect | High | Improves ecology, encourages economic sustainability | None | Potential sites identified in Local Plan and guidance created by June 2022 |
| Establish a positive planning policy framework and toolkit for maximising the use of renewable energy within development | Indirect | Medium | Improves ecology, encourages economic sustainability | None | Policy Framework and toolkit developed by March 2022 |
| Undertake detailed resource mapping to confirm Dorset has the technical resources to be self-sufficient. Potential sites can then be identified in the Local Plan | Indirect | High | Improves ecology, builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability | Low | Wind Resource Mapping completed by December 2020 |
| Lobby central government over the major hurdles to renewable energy deployment, the Navitus Bay decision, investment needed on grid infrastructure, and future of heat | Partnership/influence | High | Builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability | None |
|
| Promote renewable energy technologies to residents and businesses | Partnership/influence | Medium | Builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability, enhances health and wellbeing | High | Communications and engagement plan developed & initiated by June 2021 |
| Extend Low Carbon Dorset programme | Partnership/influence | Low | Encourages economic sustainability | None | Secure additional £5m ERDF funds by Dec 2020 & deliver by 2023 |
| Dedicated resources to assist with the expansion and awareness building of the Energy Local Project in Dorset | Partnership/influence | Medium | Encourages economic sustainability, enhances health and wellbeing | Low | Staff made available by June 2021 |
| Work in partnership with BCP to plan a zero-carbon energy system for Dorset | Partnership/influence | High | Improves ecology | Medium |
|
| Work with renewable energy developers in Dorset to secure new renewable energy generation to meet (and exceed) needs of Dorset Council | Partnership/influence | Medium | Improves ecology, builds resilience, encourages economic sustainability | High | Process for working with developers defined by 2023.
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