Stroud District Renewable Energy Assessment

A consultation workshop. People gathering around a model of the city

Helping Stroud District Council create a renewable energy strategy.

Project duration: June 2019 – November 2019

In December 2018 Stroud District Council pledged to do everything in its power to make Stroud District carbon neutral by 2030, a leading pledge that was followed by Gloucestershire County Council unanimously committing in May of this year to a target to become carbon neutral within its estate by 2030 and across the county by 2050.

One of the key components to achieving this target will be to move from the current energy mix that is 90% reliant on fossil fuels, to one that is reliant instead on renewable energy capacity (alongside energy efficiency and energy demand reduction). In light of this, Stroud District Council commissioned the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE), partnered with Land Use Consultants (LUC), to research local renewable energy capacity.

This project built upon CSE’s experience and understanding of the context for renewable energy and planning policy in Gloucestershire; we previously produced the Gloucestershire Sustainable Energy Strategy (2018) and hosted the first county-wide Climate Change conference that was designed to support authorities moving forward on carbon neutral targets.

The study delivered an up-to-date evidence assessment of renewable energy potential and opportunities within the district based upon the local context, resource capacity and the current economic and market context for each renewable energy technology. The study was also informed by a consultation workshop with key local stakeholders where interim findings were presented and views sought on the future of renewables within the district.

The main study outputs included scenarios for renewable energy generation deployment across the district, including options for several new major development sites, along with opportunity maps to indicate the spatial distribution of resources and their constraints. Recommendations were also given on renewable energy policy considerations for the evolving draft Local Plan.