FUTURE PROOFING
A solar revolution in multi-unit properties
We hear from Jack Taylor , General Manager of Europe , Allume Energy , about a groundbreaking solar energy initiative that promises to revolutionise the way we harness clean and affordable electricity for multi-unit properties in the UK .
T he risks of climate change now need little introduction . We are already starting to live with the impacts of a changing climate on the environment , communities , businesses and supply chains . A recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) report revealed that our ambition to limit global warming to 1.5 ° C is now hanging by a thread . With voices challenging whether keeping within the 1.5 ° C trajectory is even still feasible , each 0.1 ° C rise above 1.5 ° C is hugely significant .
Added to the climate emergency has been a cost of energy crisis , with wholesale energy prices increasing rapidly from the second half of 2021 onwards . While monthly gas prices fell by 1.0 % between March and April this year – the first time since October 2020 – this has largely been seen as a drop in the ocean compared with a rise of 66.8 % between the same two months a year ago .
With over 56 % of people using less fuel in their homes because of increases in the cost of living , the need for cheaper , climate-friendly energy solutions has never been greater .
Net zero and the UK ’ s use of solar
A cornerstone of the UK ’ s strategy to reach net zero by 2050 is the legally binding requirement under the Paris Agreement to meet its ‘ nationally determined contribution ’ ( NDC ) – to reduce emissions by 68 % by 2030 , compared with 1990 levels . With less than seven years to go , and with the UK ’ s built environment sector responsible for 25 % of the nation ’ s greenhouse gas emissions , it is incumbent upon building owners and developers to accelerate the uptake of renewable energy sources for private , commercial and local authority properties .
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